Little Flower--A Transformers Prime Fan Fiction
by BBPRIMEFAN101
Summary: From witnessing her parents' demises to dealing with horrific memories and nightmares of such events, Lily's been tormented by the horror she's witnessed and the loneliness she's felt, thinking her life would never be the same again. Then along came the Autobots. This is the story of how Lily met them, and gained a new family.
1. Chapter 1

"**Little Flower—A Transformers Prime Fan Fiction"**

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><p><strong>Summary: Lily encounters strange mechanical beings <strong>

**~~This chapter is rated T for violence and gore.~~**

**TFP © Hasbro**

**Lily © Me**

****and remember, THIS IS AN EDITED VERSION OF "STRANGE RESCUER". If you haven't read my latest post "ANNOUNCEMENT", please do so in order for you to understand****

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><p><span><strong>~Chapter One: The Girl Who Had Nothing~<strong>

"_Run! Run and don't look back!" _

"_I'm trying!"_

"_Keep going!"_

"_Mama!"_

"_Don't stop! Keep going!"_

_4-year-old Lily McElroy and her mother sped down the street as fast as their legs could carry them, holding hands tightly and not letting go. Darkness surrounded them; all little Lily could see was the street in front of them, and the forceful red blasts that impacted and crumbled the road around them. All she could hear was the sound of her mother's voice, her own heart beating, and the roar of jet engines booming in her ear. _

_After what felt like an eternity of running, they both noticed a clump of trees and bushes and raced towards them, ducking behind them and catching their breath. Mrs. McElroy pressed Lily close against her body, constantly glancing through the leaves up at the sky. "W-Who are they, Mama?" Lily asked, trembling._

"_I don't know," her mother replied._

"_Why are they chasing us?"_

"_I don't know..."_

"_W-What's gonna happen to us?" _

_Mrs. McElroy looked down to Lily and sadly smiled at the sight of tears; she used her thumb to wipe them away from Lily's emerald eyes and kissed her forehead. "Nothing will happen, Lillian," she spoke softly. "I promise you." They both jumped and Lily cried when a blast landed by the bushes, a red glow blinding them. Mrs. McElroy looked through the bushes again and took a deep breath. "Wait here, honey," she said as she got onto her knees and placed Lily further behind the shrubs. "Don't move...and don't make a sound."_

"_Mama? Don't leave me...Mama...!" Lily cried._

_Mrs. McElroy shushed her and wiped her cheeks, tears forming in her own, warm brown eyes. "It's okay...It'll be okay. Remember? You're Mama's little flower, Lily; beautiful and bright. It'll be alright..." She kissed her cheek and stood up. "Stay here." Then she took off into the street—straight into the numerous lines of fire._

"_No! Mama, come back! Don't leave me!" Lily wept, but her mother remained in the street. She watched her mother wave her arms around, stumble and dive out of the way of the oncoming blasts. Lily badly wanted to go out to her, not wanting to be alone in the shadows for any longer, but her legs wouldn't move. She tried screaming, but her voice was caught in her throat. She watched a blast come and her mother roll across the street. Blast. Roll. Blast. Roll. Blast. Roll. Then came another blast—striking the ground inches from where Mrs. McElroy stood. She went flying across the street and landed head over heels until she laid still on her stomach, a smoking, singed, battered woman._

_Lily wanted to scream, but her voice remained stuck. Then she ducked down behind the bushes, peeking through the leaves, as a jet hovered above the ground where Mrs. McElroy limply laid. Then, the metal of the jet shifted around, and it took a new shape—the shape of a large, red eyed robot. But the image of the robot was blurred as her eyes filled with tears and her body trembled. Its voice as well was unclear. _

"_Where is she?" it asked._

"_...W-Where is who...?" Mrs. McElroy warily asked as she forced herself onto her hands and knees, facing halfway away from the strange robot. _

"_Do not play dumb with me, female fleshling! I know you are hiding her. Where is the child?! My master demands I bring her to him!"_

"_Who are you...?" Mrs. McElroy croaked, as she slowly started to back away._

"_As if you did not know!" The giant robot reached out a clawed servo and grabbed Mrs. McElroy before she ever had a chance to flee. Lily tried crying out again, but nothing escaped her mouth. Her feet remained planted to the grass by the bushes. All she could do was watch._

"_I don't know who you are!" she cried as she struggled in the robot's hand. "Let me go!"_

"_Where is she?!" roared the robot._

"_I don't know who you're referring to!"_

"_You think you can fool the likes of me?! I saw you running off with her down this very street. Now, tell me where she is, and I just might let you live long enough to say your farewells."_

_Mrs. McElroy glared, her voice beginning to choke as the robot's hold on her tightened. "W-Whatever you want with my baby...you won't get it...you monster..."_

_The robot glared fiercely. "My lord and master has also ordered me to eliminate those who get in my way. And you have been in my way for too long now." Its other claw extended, revealing finger-like talons._

"_If you kill me...you won't know where she is..." Mrs. McElroy croaked._

"_Oh, no worries," the robot chuckled. "If she is nearby, she will no doubt start screaming..."_

_Then there was a white flash and a tearing sound. It blinded Lily a little, then she looked again where the robot stood—and found her mother at its feet. All she could see was red. Red coated her mother's body, and she laid face-down in a pool of it. Lily's stomach dropped, her blood ran cold. The robot being was also covered in red, but it didn't seem to care. _

"_Pathetic fleshling," it muttered and kicked the body away, and laughed watching the limbs flare around. Once it stopped chortling, it seemed to be listening. "Huh. I had expected the brat to be screaming by now...maybe she is no longer in this area." Then the robot quickly took shape of a blurred jet and took off away from the neighborhood—leaving Lily alone with a corpse._

_Gathering up her courage, which was very little, Lily struggled to stand as she stepped out behind the bushes. When she tried to walk, her legs gave in and she fell to her knees. So, she crawled. She told herself to stop, but her hands and knees kept on guiding her forward. She kept crawling until her fingertips waded in the growing pool of thick red blood. There, she could see what the robot had done. It made sure to dig its talons into the corpse's body in order to claw out the ribs and lungs. The neck was gashed open, revealing the flowing arteries and windpipe. Rivers of red poured from every wound, the corpse's limbs were bent in inhuman positions from the fall, and the body rapidly became pale. The eyes—the warm brown eyes that were once full of life and love—had become grey and glazed. Lifeless._

_Lily was so horrified by the sight, she forgot that this corpse was her mother. As reality struck, her stomach lurched and her blood ran hot. She began quivering as she felt Mrs. McElroy's blood flow by her legs and stain her clothes. Her heart ached and she choked on air as she slowly started to hyperventilate. Then, she gripped her hair tightly until her knuckles turned white and screamed._

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><p>"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"<p>

Lily sat up in bed as she howled, gripping her hair with a firm grasp. Her heart raced and jumped out of her chest, thumping powerfully; her skin, pajamas and bed sheets were soaked in sweet; her body trembled uncontrollably and her breathing was jagged; her wet green eyes were wide in terror; her stomach churned and her blood ran cold.

Once she came to her senses, she frantically looked around. She saw her pink, flower-decorated walls, her toy chest and book shelf, her pile of dirty clothes, and her toy bear. She then remembered she wasn't out in the street; she was in her isolated house that sat near the desert, in her room, in bed, having awoken from a nightmare—not. Not just a nightmare. A memory. A horrible memory of the gory event that took place three years prior. It was the same every night. She would see the same thing whenever she closed her eyes: the red stain on the road, the soaked clothes and skin of the corpse...the red eyes of the robot. Those malicious, merciless red glowing eyes...

She jumped at the sound of her bedroom door opening and turned to find her father racing towards her bedside. At that instant she burst into tears and clung to his shirt, sobbing and hiccupping.

Mr. McElroy pulled her into his lap and rocked back and forth, running his hand up, down, and in circles along her back. "Shhh," he shushed softly. "There, there...It's alright..." He was used to this now. In fact, he expected this every night, and knew to come running any time his daughter cried out. He remembered the day he learned about his wife's brutal demise. He had received a call that his wife had been involved in a murder, and he immediately left his office, heading for the hospital downtown. The medics said they found Lily in shock beside the body and took her straight to the hospital. He met her there and stayed with her until she was clear to go. Then they planned the funeral, and other events occurred. Since then, his daughter has suffered severe PTSD; he is only thankful that it hasn't escalated any further. "It's okay...we're safe...Calm down, now. I'm here."

Lily hiccupped as her tears rolled down her burning cheeks and soaked her father's shirt, and snot dribbled from her nose like any upset child. "Real...so real...like always..." she barely managed to say.

"I know," Mr. McElroy said quietly, glancing out the window for a while, then he looked to his daughter again. "But you know we're safe. Right? Because I won't let anything happen to you." He tilted her chin up and stared into her teary, red eyes, using his thumb to dry her cheeks. "You know why?" Lily sniffled and nodded slowly. Mr. McElroy smiled. "Yes, I know you know. Because you're my little flower. And I promise to keep you blooming forever." He kissed her red nose and nuzzled her with his cheek. "Do you want me to take you to my room, or are you okay now?"

Lily took a minute to calm herself down, taking deep breaths. "I...think I'm okay now..." she croaked.

"Very well," he said and stood up, giving her another kiss. "But if you ever need me, you can come into bed with me any time. Good night, Lily." He went to the window, stared out of it for a moment before closing the curtains and left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Lily listened to her father's footsteps disappear down the hall, then she went to the window, wondering what her papa was looking at. She watched a couple vehicles pass by her house, then she returned to her bed, hugging her knees. She was a bit nervous about going back to sleep. She always was. There were most times when she'd sleep again and the nightmare would return. However, there were a few occasions where she wouldn't dream again after the nightmare, and she'd wake up in a much better mood. She looked down at her teddy and pulled it into her lap, staring into its black, beady eyes. She remembered when her mother bought her this bear. Aside from the picture on her nightstand, it's all that she, herself, had left of her mother.

Then, turning to her left, she saw the photograph; it was of a young man and woman, and they were holding a baby. Lily's eyes were on the young woman. Her hair was in a bushy ponytail, her faint freckled cheeks were scrunched up in a smile. Lily knew that smile. She used to see it every morning she woke up from sleep, when she got home from school, and before she went to bed. Those warm brown eyes the woman had stared at her. She knew those eyes too well. No matter how hard she prayed, because of that murderous robot, she knew she would never see that friendly, loving smile, nor those beautiful eyes again. As more tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, Lily sat the picture back down on the nightstand, hugged the bear tightly, and laid back down.

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><p>The next day was Saturday. Lily's favorite day of the week. It wasn't just because she didn't have school, but because it was the day she and her papa spent the morning together at the local park. Then they would head to the desert, sit atop a plateau and watch the sun set over the mountains. That was how her parents met; they both enjoyed the view of the setting sun.<p>

Lily sat on a swing facing the road and squealed every time Mr. McElroy pushed her. Every inch she went higher she laughed and smiled. Then Mr. McElroy raced in front of her, holding his arms out; Lily leapt from the swing and he caught her, spun around as he held her up in the air, then set her down, the both of them dizzy, and the game started again. It was exhausting for Mr. McElroy, but if it made his daughter happy, it was worth a backache.

"Again, Papa!" Lily giggled as she skipped to the swing.

Mr. McElroy breathed a chuckle as he rested his hands on his hips, trying to catch his breath. "Lily, I think six times is enough. Why don't we take a break?"

"Aww! Please? One more time?"

"Maybe later, sweetheart. I've got to rest a little," her papa said as he gazed out at the street. Then he ruffled her hair then went to sit down on a bench, pulling a newspaper from his pocket and began to read.

Lily pouted and sat there on the swing, staring at the dirt while kicking her feet. She was quite small for a 7-year-old girl; her feet still couldn't quite reach the ground whenever she sat down, not even if she pointed her toes, so she couldn't push off the ground and swing herself. Lily then glanced out at the street, watching vehicles go by, some traveling faster than others. She did so for a couple moments when something caught her attention as a few more vehicles passed by. Then she remembered. Those were the same vehicles she saw last night. A yellow car and a dirty green jeep-like vehicle. She couldn't explain it, but she found it odd that she saw the same vehicles together.

Before she thought on it any further, she heard the familiar, chilling sound of a roaring jet engine. Shakily, she looked up over her shoulder, her eyes following two dark jets soaring over Jasper. Her mind raced as her stomach began churning again. She tried to focus on them as they flew by; she had to see. But from what she could tell, "it" wasn't one of those dark jets. Ever since that dark night, whenever she heard that familiar sound in the sky, she would look up and see if the jet was the same robot from three years ago. So far, she hasn't seen any matches. But that could change at any moment. It also raised the question she's always asked herself: what did that robot want with her? Then, the two dark colored jets turned around and headed back in the direction they came.

Another sound got her attention. She looked to the sound and saw another small girl playing with her mother; both the mother and the small girl were smiling and giggling and playing together on the see-saw. She heard more laughter and looked to it, seeing a mother and son making a castle in the sand pit. Everywhere she looked, she saw happy children with their happy mothers, while their fathers were elsewhere. As she watched them smile and love on each other, she began to wonder. If that robot hadn't killed her mama, if she was still alive today, would they be smiling and giggling while they played on the see-saw? Would they laugh if their sand castle fell over and they rebuilt it? Would she be as happy as the other children are with their mothers? She knew she'd never know. She knew she'd never feel the same happiness as those children; she wouldn't laugh or smile with as much joy and love. She knew all of that. Because that robot took it all away from her. Because her mother was dead. As she hung her head, she gripped the chains on the swing; the children's and mothers' laughter echoed in her mind, as well as the words her mother spoke that night three years ago, and grey flashes of previous moments with her mama appeared before her closed eyes. As she sat there, the sounds became louder and louder, and her grip on the chains tightened until her knuckles were bone white. She thought it was unfair. Why, out of everyone in Jasper, did she have to suffer like this? What had she done to deserve this? What had her mother done to deserve being killed? Whether she knew the answer or not, it didn't matter.

Lily was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Excuse me," said a voice. Another little girl in a pink dress stood behind her. "Could I get on this swing when you're done?" While her mind was back in reality, Lily's swelled up emotions remained locked away, fighting to escape. Unknowingly, she let it loose. She hopped off the swing, her hands still clenched, and she rammed her fist across the girl's face. The girl yelped as she landed on the dirt, staring up in shock at Lily. After a moment, she began screaming and crying, earning everyone's attention. Lily stood there breathing heavily as her eyes widened in surprise. Did she really just hit this girl? The sound of the girl's hurtful wailing crushed her; before she could apologize, the girl's mother and Mr. McElroy raced over.

The mother asked her what happened and the girl explained everything through sobs and hiccups. The look on her papa's face made Lily very afraid. He apologized numerous times to the mother as she went off, carrying her daughter, then he angrily stormed to Lily, grabbing her by her wrist and pulled her to the side. "Lillian Abigail McElroy, what in the hell were you thinking?!" he hissed.

Now it was Lily's turn to cry. "I...I-I don't know, Papa...I-I didn't mean to h-hit her...I-It just happened, a-and-"

"Sucker-punching another girl doesn't just happen, Lily! I thought you knew better," he grumbled. After a long intense moment, he started leading her away.

"W-Where are we going?" Lily sniffled.

"Home," Mr. McElroy grunted as he yanked her to his side. "And you are going to sit in your room and think about what you did!"

"No! Papa, no! NO!" Lily wailed. She began to tug and pull to get her arm free, but her papa would just tighten his grip and pull her back beside him. "NO! PAPA! THAT HURTS! LET GO! LET ME GOOO!"

Mr. McElroy ignored his daughter's screams and placed her in the back seat of their car, slamming her door and his when he got in. He turned the key in the ignition, started up the car, pulled out of the parking lot and drove home; all the while, Lily wept and rubbed at her wrist. When they arrived at the house, he plopped Lily on her bed and told her to stay in her room until he said she could come out, and he somewhat slammed the door on his way out. Lily laid on her bed softly crying into her pillow, fully regretting her actions back at the park, wishing to take them back and stop herself from doing it. She was ashamed of herself; she knew she was upset, but she expressed it entirely the wrong way. She reached out and grabbed her teddy, slowly pulling it inward and hugging it close to her chest. "M-Mama…" she whimpered as she nuzzled the bear and continued to sob.

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><p>Lily must've cried herself to sleep because she suddenly felt her papa gently shaking her awake. She groggily sat up and moaned; her face felt dry from her tears and rubbed under her eyes. The lighting in her room was dark, indicating it was late in the afternoon. She met her father's gaze, and saw his eyes were friendly. He smiled as he ran his fingers through her hair, and she sleepily smiled back.<p>

"I'm sorry I snapped at you like that, Lil'," he said softly.

Lily slightly frowned and shook her head. "No...I deserved it. I shouldn't have hit that girl."

Mr. McElroy nodded his head, then turned slightly towards her. "I know you said you had no idea why you hit her, but...there must be some reason."

Lily remembered, and tears filled her eyes. She sniffled as she sat up to wipe them on her arm. "Because it's not fair!"

Mr. McElroy seemed puzzled. "What's not fair?" he asked.

"T-That all the other kids have a mama, a-and I don't!" Lily wept as tears spilled down her cheeks and dripped off her chin. "I-If it weren't for that stupid robot, M-Mama would still be a-alive, a-and we'd be happy a-all the time!"

Mr. McElroy sighed. "Lily, I've told you, it was no robot that killed your mother. It was probably someone of a big size or-"

"NO, IT WAS A ROBOT!" Lily screamed at him. "I saw it! I saw it happen! A-A jet turned into a r-robot, a-and it killed Mama! I s-saw it! N-No one believes me! T-They think I-I'm crazy!"

"Calm down, Lily," Mr. McElroy said gently, yet firmly. He rubbed Lily's back until she relaxed, then he pulled her into his lap. "No one ever said you were crazy, Lily. And, I know it hurts that this happened and that you don't have your mother anymore. I know it hurts. But, you must remember: she is always with you and me in our hearts"—he tapped her chest, then her forehead—"and in our memories. No matter what." He reached down and squeezed her hand. "And Mama wouldn't want us to hold onto the past. She'd want us to move on, even though it's hard to. She knows, just like you and me, that there's no way to change what's happened...but she wouldn't want that to stop us, now, would she?" Lily sniffled with a trembling lip and shook her head no.

Mr. McElroy smiled as he wrapped an arm around his tiny daughter and quivered a smile, and they gazed out the window. "I'm afraid the sun's already set, Lil'. I'm sorry we didn't get to see it like we always do."

"It's okay...One time isn't going to hurt anything," Lily said quietly.

They both smiled and he kissed her tear-stained cheek. Mr. McElroy then said he gave her permission to leave her room, but Lily replied that she was too tired now. He went to her pajama drawer, grabbed a shirt and pants, and went to help her change out of her clothes. He took off her shirt and slipped a light green, baggy pajama top over her head and pulled her arms through the sleeves. He lifted her legs up and removed her skirt, replacing it with light pink pajama shorts. Then he took each foot and tickled them a little to make Lily laugh before slipping socks on to keep her feet warm. Once she was completely changed, he laid her back down, tucked her in, tossed her clothes into the dirty pile and quietly left the room.

Lily sleepily reached for her teddy and cuddled it as her eyes began to droop, and she eventually fell back asleep.

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><p>Lily awoke with a shriek. Not from the nightmare. But from a loud explosion coming from outside. Jumping out of bed, she raced to her window, looking towards the open field near the mountains, and she saw a large cloud of fire and rock quickly rise up into the sky. Another explosion made her jump. Then bright blue and red flashes of lights lit up the sky as they flew across the sky. Another deafening, sonic boom in the distance that shook the ground and the walls of her room made her scream and duck down. After the echo died down, she poked her head up and saw silhouettes of a large being taking on a second. After a closer look, she realized the beings were made of metal.<p>

She saw right below them, two other large metallic creatures were taking on much smaller ones. In the full moonlight, she could clearly see that one of them appeared yellow, and the other was green. At first, she thought they seemed familiar and then it clicked; they were the same colors of the two vehicles she had seen at the park and outside her window the night before. They were firing laser cannons and swung swords, and when one of the smaller beings landed on them, they threw them overhead and into the dirt. Lily gasped and stared at the brawl taking place in awe and curiosity.

"Lily!" her papa's voice rang out, making her jump with a squeal. She turned around to see her father holding a flashlight and a strange-looking gun in both hands. "Get away from the window, we're under attack!" Lily got a second quick glimpse at the metallic beings, and she noticed the fight going on between them was getting much closer and closer to the neighborhood. Then she bolted out of her room alongside her father, sticking close to his side.

"Papa, what's happening?!" she wailed fearfully, clinging to his arm.

"Damn 'Cons are at it again," Mr. McElroy muttered under his breath, not hearing her question, looking around frantically. Before she could ask again, a sonic blast erupted just outside their home, and every window shattered; shards of glass went flying everywhere, scraping both Lily and her father on their arms and legs. She screamed and he groaned in pain, yet he pressed onward, shielding Lily from any danger, until he got to the guest room across the hall. "Lil', I need you to stay in here until I say it's safe to come out!" he said as he cleaned her wounds as quickly as he could.

"B-But, w-what about you?!" Lily sobbed out of fear and pain.

"I'll be alright," he said in a rush. "Just stay in that room! I'm going to barricade the door, okay?! Now get in!" He guided her into the guest room, shut the door, barricaded it with a chair under the knob, then locked and loaded the gun he held and stood at the foot of the stairs. He was not about to risk losing anyone else in his family.

Lily cowered behind the bed in the guest room, sobbing heavily as she hugged her slashed knees. What was happening? Why was her papa acting this way? These metallic creatures were fighting near her home. Did they not know humans were living in this home?

Almost immediately after she thought that, a deep, powerful voice rumbled, "Lead this fight away from the homes! We must not allow any harm to come to this family!"

Lily gasped and crawled low to the window, cautiously peeping out of it. There right before her was a large metallic creature, battling another just like it, but its appearance was completely different. And his eyes…they glowed red…Lily felt shivers crawl up her spine. The creature with the red eyes had silvery armor, each tip looked as sharp as the tip of a spear, and its mechanical hands appeared like claws. Its teeth were jagged, and its face was shadowed by his helm, but was also lit up by those fierce red glowing eyes. Suddenly those red eyes locked onto hers, and the metallic being sneered. Lily gasped and told herself to move, but she wouldn't. She knew something was to happen, but she was unable to get out of the way. The second metallic being then turned towards her, revealing its bright blue eyes. This robotic creature had less points and more round edges, she imagined the plates all over its body were made to look like muscles on a human, and its eyes seemed friendlier. They seemed to widen when they saw her, and Lily locked onto them. She sensed something behind those eyes…she couldn't explain it, though, no matter how hard she tried.

Then, Lily gasped as she noticed the red-eyed metallic creature drawing out a large gun made out of the same metal as its skin, and pointed it at her. The blue-eyed being heard the weapon charging up, and with a roar its arm changed into a sword. It swung its weapon, and the gun exploded, knocking the red-eyed being backwards—and knocking the blue-eyed one forward towards the guest room. Lily screamed and ran towards the door; just as the giant robotic being crashed into the house, it created a large force powerful enough to knock the door down, and Lily barely escaped the wave of debris and splinters. She sobbed uncontrollably and crouched down in a corner as guns and sonic booms went off around her. She was desperate to know what was happening and why.

She suddenly heard a familiar cry of agony coming from outside and raced to the closest shattered window. Looking down at the street she saw her father laying in a pool of red, and his right leg below the knee was obliterated. The memory returned and her stomach lurched as her heart raced. "NO! PAPA!" she shrilled and raced down the stairs out into the street. The battle was taking place right outside her door. Both types of robot beings were fighting each other, blasts flying everywhere and their giant feet stomping around. Lily screamed as she avoided being stepped on and ran to her father, sobbing. "Papa!"

Mr. McElroy hazily looked up at her as he groaned in sheer pain, grabbing his leg. "No...Lily...go back inside...w-where it's safe...dangerous, out here..."

"Papa, you're hurt! Hurt real bad! We need to get you to the hospital! Papa?!"

Then, her papa looked beyond her and his eyes widened. "GET BACK!" he shouted as he took Lily under his arm and rolled away onto a patch of grass. A red blast struck the road where they used to be, and a smoldering crater was what remained. Mr. McElroy yelled in pain through his teeth as he clutched his leg, his gun laying beside him.

"Papa!" Lily cried out. Then footsteps boomed towards them and she turned to see one of the metallic beings with a red visor tower over them. Lily whimpered and tried to pick up the gun her papa used, but it was too heavy and too hot. "Papa, get up! Get up! Papa!" she exclaimed, tugging on her father's arm. The robotic creature charged up a laser cannon it drew out of its arm; Lily's heart dropped into her stomach and her blood ran cold when she heard and saw it begin to charge up.

Then, a blue light blasted the robot from behind and it collapsed; Lily watched it fall and the red light behind the visor flickered then faded for good. She gasped and looked up to see the largest of the robot beings aiming its blaster at the fallen robot, its blue eyes glaring. Then it looked to her and its expression softened. Out of nowhere, the silver, spiked robot being tackled it and the two began to fight once more.

"Lily, get out of here...!" Mr. McElroy winced as he supported himself on one elbow.

"No! I don't wanna leave you!" Lily wept.

"Go, now! You'll be safer!" Mr. McElroy fought to stand on his one good leg and continued firing his odd-looking gun, which had the same color of ammo as the other robot beings. He struggled to keep his balance while he fired, but he managed to remain standing. "Look, I promised to keep you safe, and I will!" he spoke to her between firing and locking the gun, and the turned his head to her. "And I know that there is a lot you don't understand right now! I know you have questions, but I can't answer them! But, I think it's time you knew that-"

At the sound of a nearby blast and a close flash of red, Lily's face turned sickly white. Mr. McElroy wondered what troubled her when he felt this throbbing pain in his chest and his back. He dared look down, to see a gaping, smoldering hole that went clean through his chest. His face fell as he wearily met eyes with his daughter. Tears poured from her eyes as he choked on her name, and she tried to crawl over to him, but she was too awe-stricken to even blink. Then, as his remaining leg went limp and his eyes rolled up and closed, the gun he held slipped from his hand as he collapsed backwards. As he laid there on the road, a mass of red filled the hole in his body and flowed over, spilling down his body and staining the street. Lily just sat there and watched; at first, she wondered if this was really happening, if this was just her imagination. Her father's body just laying there and not moving is what gave away the fact that this terror was real. Lily felt the same feelings she felt three years ago. Flashes of her mother appeared before her eyes. The sounds all around her faded as she stared at the fresh corpse in front of her—knowing that corpse was her father. Her last parent.

After a moment of being unable to breathe, she began hyperventilating. From where she knelt in the grass, she threw her head back and howled the longest cry she had ever let out.

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!_"

"_NOOOO!_" the largest of the robots roared, and the battle raged on even more fierce than before for a while longer.

Lily sobbed and screamed and pulled at her hair. It happened again. A red-eyed robot being blew a hole into her father, and now he was gone, too. She became very overwhelmed. She felt her heart racing in her chest as she began to feel lightheaded. She heard more deep voices shouting but couldn't make them out as their words became muffled. She felt her eyes flutter and roll up, all the sounds went dead, and then everything went black.

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><p>The next time Lily came to, she felt her body slightly rocking, as if she were in a moving vehicle. Her eyes were too heavy to open for a while, so she listened. She heard the sound of an engine running, the sound of tires rolling over gravel, and metal creaking. She felt something strapped over her chest and waist. A seat belt? Yes. She was inside of a moving vehicle, and by the sound of the engine, a large, powerful one at that.<p>

She heard voices; both of them were deep and spoken softly as if they weren't trying to awaken her. She couldn't make out the words, though. She was too exhausted. She moaned and shifted a little, turning her head to the left, her body aching. The voices then went quiet. Warily, she opened her heavy eyes and saw a man in a suit sitting in the front seat. She tried to speak, but her voice was stuck in her throat.

The man briefly glanced at her then focused on the road. "Take it easy, kid," he said quietly. "Just relax and go back to sleep. It's okay. I'm taking you somewhere you'll be safe."

"Papa..." Lily barely managed to whisper.

The man sighed, lowering and shaking his head. "I'm sorry...Get some sleep, okay?"

Lily didn't want to sleep. She wanted to cry, but she was still so lightheaded and her body was aching, and the pain somehow made her very sleepy. Having no strength left, she succumbed to the heaviness of sleep and blacked out once more.

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><p><strong>AN: well? What do you guys think of the changes? Please be sure to review and let me know what you like :)**


	2. Chapter 2

"**Little Flower—A Transformers Prime Fan Fiction"**

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><p><strong>Summary: Lily meets the Autobots<strong>

**~~This chapter is rated T for sensitive material.~~**

**TFP © Hasbro**

**Lily © Me**

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><p><span><strong>~Chapter Two: The Gentle Giants~<strong>

The members of Team Prime waited anxiously for their leader to return to their base hidden in the desert. They had been given orders to fall back and return to base, saying he'd meet them there when he could, but that was over an hour ago now. What was keeping him?

"He is obviously still functioning," Ratchet said as he stared at Optimus's signal on their monitor. "His signal is still active, but why has he not yet returned?" Ratchet was the medic on Team Prime; he remained at the base to manage the ground bridge controls and keep an eye out for any Decepticon activity while the others are out. But he occasionally joined in on the action—however, most of the "joining in" is mainly assisting a wounded Autobot if he or she was injured in battle. He and Optimus go way back; they were close old friends, having known each other for a very long while during their time on Cybertron. He'd be devastated if his leader was hurt, even needlessly put the blame upon himself. If the situation were to ever occur, he'd work his pistons off to get his chief back on his feet.

"_**Perhaps he got caught in another fight with the Decepticons**_," bleeped a yellow muscle car Autobot, Bumblebee, as he took a step towards the medic. Bumblebee was the scout of Team Prime, but he was easily one of the smartest, quick-thinking, skilled warriors aboard. He may be among the smallest of the Autobots, but no one ever judges him by his size. Bee's voice box was severely damaged during the Great War—by Megatron. Now, he doesn't speak words, only silly sounds, but his teammates seem to understand him enough. The scout was also deeply concerned for the life of his leader. Optimus is like a surrogate father to him. If anything were to happen, he'd be right there to help.

"Not likely," Ratchet replied, keeping his optics on the monitor. "If any more Decepticons are becoming involved, we would know. But for the moment, Optimus's signal is the only one popped up."

"Maybe the government called him into questioning about the fight," the large, dirty green Autobot, Bulkhead, theorized. Bulk was well known for his body size and capability of mass destruction. He may not be the best when it comes to stealth, but the big lug is useful when any damage is needed done. Wrecking things was his specialty, since he came from an old team back on Cybertron during the Great War called the Wreckers, but resigned from that position to join Team Prime when the chance came. Though he's his own weapon of mass destruction, he does have a softer side, such as commenting on how beautiful the night was—despite the battle that had taken place only an hour ago.

Ratchet sighed and turned to the big lug. "That is one possibility that I fear of being true," he said quietly. "After all, you all fought so close to the homes of the neighborhood. But from what I can tell, only two humans spotted you..." He trailed off, closing his optics and shaking his head.

"But now there is only one," Bulkhead said sadly, remembering when he saw the human male's body. The three mechs hung their heads in silence until a message came through.

"Ratchet," said a voice over the comm. link.

"Optimus?!" the medic exclaimed; at the mentioning of their leader's name, Bulkhead and Bumblebee raced to Ratchet's side to listen. "It's about time we've heard from you. What have you been doing?"

"I am fine, but could you speak a little quieter, please?" Optimus asked in a soft voice. "Agent Fowler and I shall explain what we can. We are entering the base now."

"We can hear you approaching, boss," said Bulkhead, and the three mechs looked to the tunnel that led out of the missile silo. The sound of an engine revving became louder and louder, and faint headlights lit up the tunnel. Soon, a large red and blue big rig turned the loose curve and entered the base, pulling to a slow stop.

Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee went to him. "Now, care to say what took you?" asked Ratchet. Then, the driver door swung open, and the Autobots gasped. "Agent Fowler..."

Agent William Fowler stepped out of Optimus, quietly closing the door while glaring at the three of them. "Will you keep it down?!" he hissed as softly as he could while trying to sound angry. "You'll wake her up!"

"Her?" repeated Ratchet.

Agent Fowler stomped to the passenger door, slowly opened it and reached his arms inside. When he pulled them back out and stepped down, the three Autobots surrounding them gasped. "It is her..." Bulkhead said quietly.

Cradled in Fowler's arms, wrapped in a blanket, was a tiny child, who appeared to be asleep. She was decorated in scratches and bruises, the ends of her clothes were tattered and burnt, blackened with ash, her hair was filthy, and her skin was very pale, stained with dark red blood. Her hands were in small fists and were brought up to her mouth, and her knees were slightly bent and rested against the agent's chest. She laid in Fowler's arms, curling limply, making no movements whatsoever.

Bulkhead knelt down slowly to get a closer look at the child. "I never saw her run outside...but I heard her scream." Bee bleeped sadly in agreement, hanging his head. "Poor girl...no home and no parents now..." Bulkhead said pitifully as his eyes followed the cuts along the tiny girl's body. "We all know how having no home...but no one to take care of her..."

"_**Where did you find her, sir?**_" asked Bumblebee.

Before Optimus could speak, Agent Fowler stepped forward. "In shock and unconscious on the other side of the road near McElroy's body," he said in a disgusted tone. "Poor thing was so shaken up, I thought her skin would fall off! I suppose you know this girl's life is over, with no home and no parental figure to look after her, because you imprudent piles of scrap can't even handle a simple mission, which might I point out, involved a **casualty.**" The dark-skinned man glared up at Optimus as he mentioned the loss of a human life.

The Autobot leader sadly frowned and looked elsewhere, not wanting to meet the angry eyes of their human liaison. He already knew of his mistake in allowing even a single human casualty—a vow he had made with the human government when they first arrived to Earth. But there was something he knew the humans didn't, but he promised to keep it to himself until the appointed time.

His optics locked onto the slumbering girl; he remembered the look of countless emotions on her face as she looked to her mutilated father's body, her audio receptor-piercing scream. He remembered the moment of rage he felt when he realized he had failed his mission to protect both of their lives. He was angry with himself, but he knew better to keep his emotions in check. He pitied the child greatly and blamed himself for her suffering. However, he had an idea to make it right.

Bumblebee hummed sadly s he got onto his hands and knees to have a closer look at the girl. He wanted to gently touch her, but Fowler roughly pushed his finger away. His optics saddened and he looked up to his leader. "_**What will we do with her, Optimus?**_"

Prime glanced at the child and declared firmly, yet gently, "She will remain here and recuperate until we can find a suitable human home for her." While Bumblebee and Bulkhead quietly celebrated, Fowler's angry mug scrunched even more.

"Absolutely-!" He stopped himself when he felt the girl shift in his arms, and waited for her to settle down before he continued, in a soft, infuriated voice. "Absolutely not! Because of you rust buckets, she's lost everything now! She needs _human_ protection, Prime!"

Optimus bent down onto one knee and leaned close to Agent Fowler. "I understand your intentions, Agent Fowler," he said calmly, "but with all due respect, if the Decepticons are targeting her, she will be much safer under our watch compared to another human. I know her father has done well in protecting her these past few years—with and without our assistance—but, seeing this as our fault, we should take the responsibility in looking after the girl." He then held a hand out in front of Agent Fowler, awaiting him to make a move.

Fowler scrunched his nose at Optimus then looked to the girl he carried. He was irritated at the fact that Optimus was right. Slowly and carefully, he laid the tiny child into the palm of Optimus's hand, tucked the blanket around her a little more, then stormed off to the elevator.

Optimus slowly got to his feet in an attempt to not awaken the child; he heated up his hand so she wouldn't be cold from the metal plates of his palm, and cradled the fragile thing. After Agent Fowler left, Ratchet approached him. "Optimus...do you really believe that allowing this girl to roam around our base is such a good idea?"

"How do you mean, Ratchet?" Optimus asked.

"I mean, if the girl is seen with us out in the open, won't it also draw attention to ourselves?"

Optimus narrowed his optics a little. "You are not saying I should put this child back where she was found, are you, Ratchet?"

"No, no, of course not! It's just...I happen to agree with gent Fowler."

Bulk and Bee looked to him in shock. "You're actually listening to that jerk?!" Bulkhead exclaimed quiet enough not to disturb the sleeping child.

"Now, that isn't what I am saying, Bulkhead," Ratchet glared.

"_**Then what are you saying?**_" said Bumblebee.

"What I mean is," Ratchet elucidated, "won't the child be in as much danger here as anywhere? She is so small. If she gets underfoot..."

"I understand your concern, Ratchet," Optimus said as he slowly advanced towards his old friend, "but with the Decepticons after her, she would be in grave danger if she leaves our headquarters. And since she is so valuable, we must take good care of her, and ensure her safety in here, and out there. Is that understood?"

Ratchet sighed. "Yes, sir."

Bumblebee stood on the tip of his feet to get a look at the girl asleep in Optimus's hands. He couldn't help but bleep a giggle and lightly stroked the child's head with the tip of his finger. "Bumblebee," said Optimus, "let her rest. She has been through a great deal of trauma and needs rest." Bee whirred understandingly, gently patting the tiny human and backed away. "I believe it is about time we all get some rest. A lot has happened tonight." The Autobots nodded and departed to their respective private quarters.

"Optimus," said Bulkhead as the Autobot leader turned to leave, "what will happen when she wakes up?"

Prime gazed down at the girl in his hands. "We will worry about that when she does awaken, Bulkhead," he said softly. "Now, get some rest." Bulkhead nodded and entered his quarters.

Once the base was silent, Optimus dimmed the lights and headed for his own quarters. As he entered and stared at his berth, he realized the child he carried had no place to sleep; at least, she wouldn't if he slept in the berth. After a quick moment of thinking it over, he slowly placed the girl onto his berth, cocooned her in the blanket, then laid on the floor beside his berth, slowly falling into recharge.

* * *

><p>Lily awoke feeling the worst headache of her life. Her stomach churned and everything felt as though it were moving. She questioned if she was still in the truck with the strange man at the wheel, but she realized she was laying on something hard, stiff and cold. The metal was icy to the touch, and shivers crawled up her back. She tried sitting, but with low energy she fell back onto the table. Her arms felt heavy, but she lifted them the best she could.<p>

She noticed her cuts were cleaned and bandaged, as well as her legs. Propping herself on her elbow, she saw that she was clean, no longer covered in ash, dirt and...blood...Lily didn't even want to think about what happened the night before.

Slowly raising her head, she began to look around, observing her surroundings. She remembered the strange man telling her she was being taken somewhere safe, but where exactly did he take her? She saw that she was in a large, empty chamber, aside from the metal slab she laid upon. Her ears picked up the sound of a computer running—as well as voices. Slowly and carefully, she got to her knees, trembling as she made her way off the metal bed and reached the floor, nearly landing flat on her bottom from the impact.

Struggling to her feet and adjusting the blanket she had wrapped around her body, she made her way out of the chamber and into a hall, using the wall for support. She headed towards the voices, which were deep and booming-like. Keeping close to the wall, she peered into the room and instantly froze. There, before her, were the large, robotic beings she had seen last night. She noticed the two whom she saw while at the park; the orange and white one was new, and she recognized the largest one right away.

But still, the memories came. Coming in flashes, she saw the fight right before her eyes; the explosions, the earth shaking, flashes of red and blue, and a vast puddle of red coating the street...Lily grabbed her head and whimpered. Why would the strange man bring her to the robots that were involved with her papa's murder?

"Hey, she's awake," said a voice, and Lily looked up to see the large, green robot pointing at her. She gasped as he eyes widened; quickly turning on her heels she took off back down the hall and hid in the room she woke up in, pressing herself against the wall.

She heard footsteps approach the door and a shadow loomed over her. Tremblingly looking up, she locked eyes with the yellow robot. It made bleeping noises as it peered back into the hall; once it was distracted, Lily ran between its legs and ran as fast as she could. It made a grab for her, but she managed to run out of its reach.

"No, come back!" the green bot shouted as they took off after her. "We won't harm you!"

Lily kept running, not knowing nor caring where she was going. She was surprised to know that her legs were able to let her run this much after the damage they took. Turning the corner, she crouched down and hugged herself, panting heavily and shakily. She jumped at the sound of steady, booming footsteps coming closer and closer. She wanted to cry, but no tears would come. Soon, another shadow hung over her; looking up, she saw the largest of the robots. Whimpering, she quickly got to her feet and took off again, entering a room—or in her case, a dead end. Before she could run back, the large robots had entered the room. She cowered against the wall, hiding her face in the blanket.

The robots circled around her but gave her some space so she would be comfortable. The largest of the robots approached slowly and knelt down, a sot expression on its silver face. "Hello, little one," it said with a deep, yet soft masculine voice. "My name is Optimus Prime. You need not fear us. We will not harm you."

Lily slowly lifted her head from behind the blanket and stared into the giant robot named Optimus Prime's bright blue eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but the second she did, a taste of bile arose in her throat and she instantly closed it, putting a hand over her mouth. A few seconds later she removed her hand and violently retched, her stomach contents splattering all over the floor. She heard one of the robots grimace and groan. When she finished, she coughed and spat any remaining bile taste in her mouth to the floor. She blushed madly; these machines had just seen her vomit within 30 seconds of their meeting. Full of shame and embarrassment, she hung her head and cried.

While Bulkhead and Bumblebee glared at Ratchet, Optimus leaned back a little to give Lily some space. "It is alright, little one," he said gently. "We understand you have endured much this past day, but you do not have to be afraid of us." Lily sniffled and wiped her eyes with the blanket, then began to crawl towards Optimus, sitting beside his hand. The Prime was surprised when Lily suddenly began nuzzling his finger, but he couldn't help but smile a little.

She then looked up, meeting eye to optic with him, and asked in a very hoarse voice, "...W-What...are y-you...?"

"We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron," Optimus Prime explained, "but you may call us _'Autobots'_ for short."

Lily's red eyes widened a little. "So...y-you are all...aliens...? Like E.T.?"

"Whomever this _E.T._ is, yes. We are aliens to you humans." Optimus then gestured to the large green bot. "This is Bulkhead," he said, and the named Autobot gave a nod of its helm to Lily and smiled. Optimus then motioned to the yellow, small Autobot. "This is our scout, Bumblebee." Lily giggled at the funny beeping noises it made as it waved to her and she waved back. The Prime pointed to the last Autobot. "And this is our medic, Ratchet." Ratchet bore no expression on his face as he merely nodded his helm to her.

Lily then turned her body fully towards Optimus and tapped on his hand. He turned it palm-facing-up so she could climb into it, and he slowly rose it up close to his eye level. She took a deep breath, staring into his gleaming, blue optics, and asked nervously, "What...w-were those things...y-you were fighting? Last n-night?" She felt tears beginning to swell up in her eyes, and she hoped none of the Autobots would notice them.

Optimus wore a serious expression as he elaborated, "They go by the name Decepticons."

_Damn 'Cons are at it again..._Lily heard her father's voice cry, making her slightly gasp.

"They also came from our home planet Cybertron. We have been at war with them for eons to come. Megatron is their tyrant. You have already met him." Lily remembered seeing the red-eyed, spiky metallic being outside of the guest room window and shivered. "His intentions are to conquer your planet, and claim it as his own, since our world is uninhabitable. But we Autobots have vowed not to let your planet share the same fate as ours."

"What happened?" Lily asked.

She could see the sadness hidden in his optics as he said, "It was lost in the war. The only ones who survived were those who fled, or sought to take refuge amongst the stars. Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee and I discovered this planet and came here to defend it from the Decepticons. However, we were unaware that Megatron and some of his forces had already arrived via space bridge technology. While our numbers dwindled, the ranks of Decepticons dramatically increased, and they've taken the ability to transform into your world's aircraft, while we Autobots have taken shape of your vehicles on the ground. We continuously await any other Autobots still out there to come and join us in winning this war..."

Optimus trailed off as he noticed the tears streaming down Lily's face and splattered onto his hand. "What is the matter, little one?" he asked sympathetically.

Lily quietly sniffled as she wiped her eyes. "...My papa...he was...he was killed by one of those...Decepticons...wasn't he...?" Optimus slowly nodded. He then began to feel the tiny girl he cradled tremble in his palm. "Then so was my mama..." Lily added through a sob. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "Mama...Papa...both gone...because of _them_...I-I never forgot the day she died...I _watched _it happen...S-Suffered nightmares since...A-And now, Papa...r-right leg g-gone...h-hole in his chest...H-He tried to protect me...but now, he's...!" Lily couldn't handle any more of it and sobbed loudly, gripping the sides of her head, as her tears dripped off of her chin and the tip of her nose.

The Autobots wished they could do something to help, but all they could do was watch the poor girl cry. Optimus sadly sighed to himself then gently stroked Lily's back with the tip of his finger in hopes of calming her down. "There, there," he spoke softly. "I know it hurts you, but you need not grieve, child. Although your parents are no longer with you physically, they are with you in your mind and heart, so long as you remember them. I am certain they would not want to see their little daughter suffer this way. They would want you to be happy, and to move on. I am sure it pains them dearly to see you in such agony."

Lily slowly lifted her head and looked up into the Autobot leader's kind optics. She sniffled heavily and wiped her eyes and nose on her arm. She quivered a smile, crawled to one of Optimus's giant fingers, and wrapped her tiny arms around it as much as she could, trying to hug him.

Optimus smiled faintly. "It is good that you are willing to trust us, little one," he said.

Lily then pulled away and turned to him, slightly frowning. "I never said that," she pointed out. The other Autobots looked at her with a confused expression on their face plates. "You guys did some serious damage last night, too. How do I know you're not just as dangerous as those other robots?"

"Because we're the good guys," said Bulkhead. Lily seemed unconvinced.

"Young one," Optimus began, "I do admit, we can be just as destructive as the Decepticons, but only if we choose to. While their purpose is to conquer your world, ours is to protect it, and keep the human race safe. And I promise, we shall keep you safe as well."

The smile returned to Lily's face and she resumed cuddling Optimus's finger. "Okay, good enough for me."

The Prime faintly smiled once more. "Now, young one," he said after a moment, "now that you know of our names, might we know of yours?"

"I'm Lily...Lily McElroy."

"Well, miss Lily McElroy, for the time being, you shall remain here under our watch."

Lily blinked. "Here? Forever? But, what about school?"

"In order to maintain your safety, you must stay here in the silo," Optimus stated. "And you need not worry about being absent at school, Lily. Agent Fowler is taking care of that."

Lily scrunched up her nose. "Who?" Suddenly alarm began blaring and green lights flashed. Lily exclaimed and covered her ears. "What's that?!"

"Proximity sensor," said Bulkhead. "Someone's coming this way."

Lily gasped and looked up to Optimus with fear in her wet, green eyes. "Are we under attack?!" she cried.

"No, Lily. Everything is fine," Optimus assured.

"It's Agent Fowler," Ratchet grumbled. "No surprise there. I almost expected him to drop by sometime today." Before he could say anymore, the elevator door swung open, and Agent Fowler entered the base with a quickened pace.

He glared at each of the Autobots, but then his expression softened when his eyes fell onto Lily. "How you doing, kid?" he asked her.

Lily blinked at him for a moment; his voice sounded so familiar. Then it hit her. He was the strange man in the front seat of the truck. "I-I'm doing okay..." she said shyly.

"You seem to be doing well," Agent Fowler nodded, then his expression hardened up again as he looked to the Autobots, "especially after all of the ruckus these four caused." He then noticed Lily's cheeks flushing as she lowered her gaze.

Optimus noticed this as well. "Agent Fowler, I am certain miss Lily would prefer if we did not discuss last night's incident in front of her," he said softly, and Lily slowly nodded in agreement. Fowler kept a hard glare on the Prime, but he heeded his words.

"What am I going to do about school?" Lily peeped after a while.

Fowler managed a smile and looked in her direction. "You don't need to worry about it. As far as your teachers are concerned, you've been transferred to a school out of the state. And I assume it's best that they continue to believe that."

"What about my home?"

"It's been completely abolished," Fowler said bluntly, then he realized what he said when he saw the look of shock on the little girl's face, and he regretted speaking before thinking.

"T-There's...nothing...left?" Lily swallowed hard and looked like she was going to burst into tears as she began to whimper.

Both Fowler and Optimus wore a look of panic and concern, then the Agent spoke quickly. "B-But we managed to scavenge some items from the wreckage before the structure was torn down." He then reached behind him and revealed something from underneath his coat.

Lily gasped and extended her arms, her hands reaching and grabbing for what Fowler held. "Teddy!" she exclaimed frantically. Optimus brought his hand closer to Agent Fowler, and he handed the darkened bear to Lily; she took it and held it close, snuggling and cuddling it.

Agent Fowler smiled, secretly sighing of relief, knowing he wouldn't have to deal with a crying spell. "The rest of the items are in that box," he said, pointing to a corner, "for you to look through."

"Thank you, Agent Fowler. I am sure this will bring miss Lily great comfort," Optimus said, but Fowler merely rolled his eyes and focused his attention elsewhere.

A sudden, groaning noise was heard, earning everyone's attention. They all traced the sound back to little Lily, who blushed and hung her head a little. When the groaning came again, she whimpered and hugged herself tightly. "I'm sorry! You didn't need to hear that!"

"What was that?" asked Bulkhead.

"My tummy. I-I'm hungry..." Lily said sheepishly, embarrassed at the fact her stomach growled loud enough for everyone to hear. "B-But you don't need to waste your time getting me food! You've done enough just by letting me stay here."

Optimus smiled kindly at her. "It is no trouble at all, miss Lily," he said. "If it is food you need, we will do all we can to find you some. You've endured enough. You shouldn't go hungry." Lily smiled back at him.

"And just how do you intend to find her food, Prime?" asked Agent Fowler. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "I don't know how you purchase your refueling sources on your planet, but on Earth, we humans use a little thing called cash to get the food we need. We don't just waltz into a store, take what we please, and then leave." He took out a few bills and handed them to Lily. "Here, kid. Based on the sound of your gut, you'll need this much to buy food."

Lily reached out and took the money into her hands. Her eyes widened when she saw the amount. "Fifty whole bucks?! That's more than I get in my allowance!"

Agent Fowler chuckled, then he headed for the elevator, glaring at the other Autobots. "You better take care of her," he growled and stepped into the elevator, then the door closed.

Lily watched him go, then she looked up to Optimus Prime. "He doesn't like you, does he?"

"If he does, he sure has a funny way of showing it," Bulkhead grumbled.

Lily giggled, then her stomach groaned again, making her blush madly. Optimus looked over to his Autobots. "Bumblebee," he said, "take Lily into Jasper and help find her some food. She will need to replenish her strength. And be on your guard."

"_**Yes, sir!**_" Bumblebee whirred and he transformed into his vehicle mode. Lily's eyes widened at the transformation and her jaw dropped. Optimus lowered his hand to the floor and watched her run over to the yellow muscle car. She hopped in, buckled her seatbelt, and then Bumblebee drove through the tunnel leading outside, and they headed for downtown Jasper.

Optimus, Bulkhead, and Ratchet watched the two of them go. Ratchet then took a step forward once more. "Optimus, are you still certain the child is safe here with us? Wouldn't she be more protected under Fowler's watch?"

Optimus sighed, having thought this had been settled, and turned towards his old friend. "Lily will be well protected under our watch, Ratchet. She will be much safer here than under anyone else's protection." Optimus then lowered his gaze and slightly frowned, remembering something he was told the previous night.

* * *

><p>Lily swung her legs happily while she and Bumblebee sat together on the cliff edge as she sunk her teeth and took a humungous bite out of a juicy cheeseburger. Her lap was also cluttered with chocolate candy bar wrappers and bubble-gum suckers. "Mmm! Papa never let me eat one of these!"<p>

"_**What are those things called again?**_" Bumblebee asked, pointing to the thing Lily held in her ketchup-stained hands.

"They're called _cheeseburgers_," Lily explained as she took another bite and wiped her mouth. "They have patties with cheese, lettuce, pickles, onions, and buns! But I don't like the yucky tomatoes and onions, and the pickles are too sour, so I just eat the lettuce. Papa always said I have to eat my greens if I want to be a big girl..." Lily trailed off and she sat her cheeseburger down. Then she looked out at the canyon below her and gazed at the mountains. "Papa and I would come here every Saturday to watch the sun set behind the mountains..." Lily hung her head, staring at her sock feet. "I wonder if...before he died...Papa regretted not taking me yesterday..."

Bumblebee became afraid that she would start crying. So he got onto his hands and knees, crouched down to her, and gave off high-pitched trills. "_**Don't be sad, please? Be happy!**_" he bleeped, smiling through his optics. Then he laid on his back and began to paw at the sky, making purring noises.

Lily giggled and pointed. "You're a kitty!" Bumblebee wasn't sure on what a 'kitty' was, but as long it was making Lily happy and keeping her mind off of her late papa, he was good with it. He then rolled onto his stomach and made funny noises through his voice box just to make Lily laugh more.

Then, Bumblebee's comm. link activated. "Bumblebee," cried Ratchet's voice, "We need you back at base! Our scanners have picked up another Energon spike and we need all hands on deck. Are there any humans near your location?"

Bumblebee scanned the area around him and replied, "_**Besides Lily, no humans are nearby, Ratchet**_."

"Very well. I am opening a ground bridge at your coordinates."

Not long after, a massive, shrilling, swirling vortex of green and white light appeared before them. Lily gasped and hid behind Bumblebee's leg. "What is that thing?!" she cried.

"_**It's called a ground bridge,**_" Bumblebee bleeped. "_**It is able to transport us to anywhere on this planet from our base.**_"

"It sounds like it's going to eat me!" Lily exclaimed over the sound of the portal.

Bee trilled laughter and looked down to her, smiling through his optics, assuring her things will be okay. Lily swallowed hard and picked up her burger, then she asked Bumblebee to carry her. He sat his hand palm-up and allowed Lily to crawl into his hand. He waited for her to be comfortable, and then he slowly headed through the ground bridge. One moment, they were in the desert; the next, they were back at Autobot headquarters.

Lily moaned as she shuddered, feeling her inside vibrating. "_**Don't worry. The ground bridge has that effect on everybody,**_" Bumblebee chirped. "_**The effects wear off after a few moments. You'll be okay**_." Then he looked to Ratchet. "_**What's the news, Ratchet?**_"

Ratchet turned from the monitor towards the scout. "We've picked up a massive Energon source beneath the ice in the Arctic," he explained. "Unfortunately, so has Megatron and the Decepticons. We need to get there before they do." Bee nodded and sat Lily down on the floor.

"The Arctic?!" the tiny girl exclaimed and twirled on her toes. "Ooh, I've always wanted to go there! I hear it's real pretty this time of year!"

The Autobots all exchanged glances before looking down to her. Optimus approached her and knelt down. "Lily, for your safety, you will remain here with Ratchet," he told her. Lily stopped twirling and she whined. "With you being a primary target of the Decepticons, if they discover your presence, your life could be in jeopardy. And, you are not properly dressed for the Arctic weather." Lily looked at her tattered clothes and pouted.

"I can't just hang around here all day!" she fussed.

"Don't worry, kid," said Bulkhead. "You've got Ratchet here to keep you company." Ratchet rolled his optics and grumbled to himself.

Lily sighed sadly and stared at her feet. She knew that the Prime was right and was only concerned for her well being, but she didn't like being cooped up all the time. Ratchet then punched in the coordinates of the Energon's location in the Arctic and activated the ground bridge, and the Autobots gathered together, ready to race through it. "Oh, Mr. Optimus!" she cried and ran to his feet. He looked down to her with questioning in his deep, bright blue optics. "...B-Be careful," she said shyly while she twiddled with her fingers.

His eyes softened, and a faint smile appeared on his face plate as he gave his helm a nod to her; then his expression became serious once again as his battle mask slid over his face. "Autobots," he announced, "roll out!" Then they charged through the ground bridge, Optimus leading the way, and once they went through, the portal shut, and the base was filled with silence.

It was an awkward silence; a bit too awkward for both the small 7-year-old and the Autobot medic to handle. While Ratchet tried to focus on his main task of searching for any Decepticon energy signatures, he tried to ignore the sound of approaching, skipping tiny feet traveling up the flight of stairs, and tried to block out the presence of the tiny human, who lingered by the rail. However, from time to time, his optics would shift from the screen over to Lily, then back to the monitor, and then back to Lily, up until the uneasiness was unbearable. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"I am watching you, watch the computer screen," Lily told him, beaming an innocent smile.

"Well, you're too close for comfort," Ratchet said, ushering her back with his hand, being gentle enough so he didn't accidentally knock her over. "Why don't you just...go do what little girls do somewhere else? Like, over there?" He pointed to the furthest corner of their base. "Way over there?" Then he resumed watching the monitor.

Lily's smile fell and her heart sunk like an anchor as sadness filled her eyes. Her feelings were hurt. "You don't like me, do you?" she said with a sniffle.

Ratchet did his best to hide the hurt he felt at the child's words and exhaled deeply, hanging his head and closing his optics. "It's not that I dislike you," he elucidated. "I just need to focus on this. It's my job to keep an eye out for any Decepticon activity, to provide coordinates for Optimus, and to assist when one of our teammates is wounded. I may have solitude here, but that doesn't mean I am free to do what I wish. Just like Optimus and the others have their hands full on the battlefield, I have mine full here." Lily's expression didn't change one bit. Ratchet sighed and hung his helm, then he lifted it again as an idea came to him. He looked to the little girl and asked, "How about a tour of the base?"

He then led Lily around their base, showing her their weapons vault (not letting her in, of course), his laboratory where he had to tell her numerous times to not touch, their storage unit for their supply of Energon, and a hall of labeled chambers. "What's in that one?" Lily asked as she pointed to a chamber, sealed shut with a very large rusted padlock, labeled with the number 84.

"Chamber 84? Classified," Ratchet said simply and rather quickly. "Top secret. Nothing you need to know." Lily sighed and stared at the floor. Ratchet inhaled and held his breath as he closed his eyes. _There is no pleasing this girl_, he thought to himself, then he looked down to her again. "Okay, tour's over...Want to go to the park?" Lily lifted her gaze and smiled.

So did Ratchet.

* * *

><p>Optimus and his Autobots continued their trek towards the location of the frozen Energon with Bumblebee and Bulkhead beside him, armed and ready for any Decepticon ambush. Prime held a scanner, courtesy of Ratchet, out in front of him, pointing it in every direction to scan the presence of Energon nearby. Wherever the beeping intensified, the Autobots followed Optimus in that direction.<p>

Suddenly, the beeping on the scanner sped up, up until the point it was one long tone and a large red glowing dot lit up the screen. Optimus looked down to his feet and saw a faint glow of blue beneath the ice. He then put the scanner away and looked to Bulkhead, giving his helm a nod.

"On it," Bulkhead replied and transformed his hands into wrecking balls. Then he approached the spot and began searching for the weakest point in the ice. When he found it, he raised his fists high in the air, then brought it down powerfully multiple times, denting and cracking the ice.

Meanwhile, Optimus stood on guard and searched around him, gazing at the cliffs of ice that surrounded them. "_**Is something the matter, sir?**_" asked Bumblebee. "_**Do you see something?**_"

"No," Optimus replied, "but what troubles me is the fact that the Decepticons have not attacked yet." Bumblebee nodded and whirred in agreement. "I have a feeling they are close by...but why do they not strike? Is it their intention to allow us to break the ice so they won't have to and then attack?"

"You are far more clever than I had anticipated, Prime."

Just then, Bulkhead lunged forward violently and let out a loud cry as something struck him from behind. He landed a few meters away on his front with a section of his back singed and smoking; he had been shot from behind. Optimus and Bumblebee immediately ran to him and helped him to his feet, then transformed their servos into their blasters and aimed them as they faced the red-optic, jagged-toothed Cybertronian; the leader of the Decepticons and their cause; the arch-nemesis of Optimus and the Autobots; and the most major threat to Earth and its inhabitants.

Megatron.

* * *

><p>The silence was once again awkward during the drive to the park. Lily sat in the front passenger seat, playing with her seat belt strap, swinging her legs while her eyes stared at her feet. Before they left, Lily looked through the box Agent Fowler brought over and found a change of clothes; she now wore a light green shirt, a pink skirt, grey leggings and brown boots. Her pajamas were left back at the base.<p>

She occasionally eyed the self-moving steering wheel, her eyes following its steering pattern; Ratchet had explained that they had the freedom to not use holograms in order to fool the humans into thinking they were regular Earth vehicles by having tinted windows, so no one could see inside and realize there was no driver at the wheel. But, he had added with a light laugh, he knew it wasn't enough to fool the Decepticons, since they were already aware of their disguises. And their Autobot insignia imprinted on the outside of their armor plating made it obvious as well.

Lily grew bored of the silence after a short while and sat up straight in her seat. "Hey. Mr. Ratchet?" she said.

"What is it?" Ratchet replied.

"What was Cybertron like? Before the war?"

Ratchet sighed to himself; of all topics this girl wanted to discuss, she had to choose the one that was rather difficult for any Autobot to talk about. As much as it hurt to speak of the past, he didn't want to Lily's feelings a second time. "Well," he began after a moment, "it was a peaceful planet. There were no Autobots nor Decepticons, only simple, autonomous robotic organisms, no affiliations. While there were quite a few conflicts in the world, there were never any wars. We could live in harmony amongst one another. It was Cybertron's great Golden Age. I had known Optimus back then...but he wasn't Optimus then, neither was he a Prime. He was once a clerk who worked at the Iacon Hall of Records, named Orion Pax. Megatron was there as well, however he had been known as Megatronus, a fierce Gladiator who titled himself after one of the original Thirteen Primes. While he vowed to help stop the growing conflicts among Cybertronians, he had other intentions. Little did anyone know that Megatronus had an unquenchable thirst for power. When he approached the High Council and explained his proposition, practically demanding to become the next Prime, someone else luckily was granted such a privilege instead."

"Orion," Lily said softly.

"Indeed," Ratchet sighed and continued. "And, of course, Megatronus was very angry with this arrangement, and he tore all ties with the young clerk and with the High Council...Funny. Those two were good friends before the war."

Lily's green eyes widened. "Optimus and Megatron were best buddies?!"

"Not exactly. More like mentors, but their friendship did grow to an extent—and then everything changed. Enraged, Megatronus shortened his name to _Megatron_, and he unleashed his army known as Decepticons across the face of Cybertron. Thus began the Great War. Many lives were lost...Many good friends...loved ones...Only the strong and the lucky survived, along with those who fled and took refuge, just as Optimus put it earlier. However, we've discovered that Megatron and his forces had landed on an organic planet millions of light-years away, filled with inhabitants of all species, plenty of resources. They loved your planet and have stayed since they arrived. So has our team."

"But, I don't get it," Lily said with a frown and a crinkle of her nose. "What makes Earth so special to the Decepticons?"

"Like I said," Ratchet went on, "your planet is rich with resources—among them our main fuel, our life blood—Energon. During the war, supplies of Energon were scattered across the universe, and some landed here on Earth. You humans have no idea; beneath your soil lies what Megatron wants most, because the more Energon they have, the more firepower they possess. And with more firepower, he will conquer over everything and the war will end...However...that is not the only purpose the Decepticons are here..."

Lily blinked. "What do you mean?" she asked, but she never received a reply. She sighed and stared at the floor boards for a moment, then she perked up and asked Ratchet, "Did he lose someone?"

"Beg pardon?" he said.

"Did he lose someone during the war?"

"Megatron?"

"No. Optimus."

Ratchet quieted down, seeming hesitant to answer. "It is not my place to explain Optimus's past on Cybertron during the Great War. I am sure he wouldn't be pleased...Optimus himself doesn't like to discuss it."

"So he did lose someone," Lily lightly gasped. "Who?"

"Did you not hear me? It is not my place to say, and you've no right to know. If you're so curious, ask him when he returns. Although I highly doubt he'll give you an answer."

Lily slumped in her seat and saddened, but not for herself. "Wow...it must've been someone he was really close to..."

* * *

><p>The Autobots blasted their weapons at the Decepticons while the enemy charged forward. While Bumblebee and the wounded Bulkhead guarded the Energon while they fought a dozen 'Cons back to back, Megatron obviously targeted and engaged Optimus Prime.<p>

"I really must thank you for this, Optimus Prime," the tyrant sneered. "You have just done all of the hard labor for us. Now all we have to do is destroy you, and take the Energon for ourselves."

"I will not let you escape with even a shard of it, Megatron," Optimus said through his battle mask; his blaster then swapped for a blade with a heated tip and he swung. Megatron drew out his own and their weapons clashed, sparks flying around from where the metals collided and clanged. The two titans skidded around on the ice while they sparred, getting in each other's faces then backing off a little before striking again.

"Oh," Megatron said as he and Optimus locked blades once more, "by the way...how is the little organic doing?" He sneered with a chuckle as he noticed Optimus's optics widen a little. "Yes, I know she is currently under your care, wherever your base of operations may be. Oh, I must admit, it was a joy seeing the look of sheer horror on her sorry, little face when I blasted her remaining parent when he wasn't looking. Oh, I will never forget it; neither will she, and neither will you. While the parent's blood is on my hands, it is also on yours, because you failed to keep them safe."

Optimus narrowed his optics and revved his engines; with an angry grunt he forced Megatron off of him, and charged once more towards him, holding his blade high in the air.

* * *

><p>Lily stood at the park entrance and held her breath. She saw all the young children playing on the equipment and with their parents, laughing and screaming. She looked at the mothers and fathers pushing their sons and daughters on the swing set, teetering and tottering on the see-saw, making castles in the sand pit, hanging from the bars on the jungle gym, waiting for their children at the bottom of the slides. She clenched her fists and exhaled, then she sank her feet into the sand as she entered, hugging herself.<p>

She noticed a vacant bench and her optics widened. She remembered from last Saturday; she suddenly saw her papa sitting there, reading the newspaper, flipping through the pages. This bench was the one her papa sat in that day. Lily quietly whimpered and went to approach the bench her father sat in, but then stopped in her tracks as some older boys ran over to it, sat down and hung out. She gasped a little and brought her hands to her chest as she backed up; tears suddenly brimmed her eyes and she turned on her heels then took off, not looking where she was going.

Then something rammed into the side of her head as she ran by the swings, knocking her off her feet and onto the sand, yelping as she landed flat on her back and then rolled onto her side, gripping her head. She winced and shivered as her head pounded and throbbed in pain, barely able to open her eyes; then came the sound of sand shuffling and running feet.

"Oh, my gosh! Are you okay?! I'm so sorry!" said a voice over her as someone helped her sit up. Lily widened her eyes; she recognized that voice and looked up. Her predictions were true; it was her. The girl she punched in the face. And apparently she recognized Lily, too. "It's you..." the girl gasped. She blinked a couple times then asked Lily, "Are you okay? Does your head hurt? Let me see if it's bleeding." She then started checking Lily's head. "I'm sorry I hit you with my heel. I didn't see you running."

Lily hung her head. "Why?" she mumbled softly.

"Huh?" said the girl.

Lily raised her head to her, revealing teary eyes. "Why are you being so nice to me? I...I hurt you..."

The girl nodded and rubbed at the healed cut on her lip. "I know you did," she said, "and it wasn't very nice. But I can't hold a grudge forever, you know?" Lily's eyes widened a little and she sniffled as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "Come on, let's go find your mommy and daddy. Where are they?"

Lily then remembered and envisioned where her mama and papa were: dead on the street soaked in their own blood, nothing but cold, lifeless bodies, rotting corpses. She cringed a little then wiped her eyes as she turned her head away. "My mama and papa are both dead," she said bluntly with a shaken voice.

The girl put her hands over her mouth and gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she said.

Lily stood up. "Don't be. It wasn't your fault."

"I-I know, but...It must be hard to lose both parents...Aren't you lonely? Who's taking care of you now?" the girl asked.

Lily's lip quivered as she swallowed. "I'm fine...It...doesn't hurt as much anymore...And I'm not lonely...I've got these...friends, who're looking after me." After a long moment, Lily turned her head to the girl and smiled. "Thanks for your help," she said, and then she walked away, heading out of the park.

"Wait!" the girl cried, but Lily had already taken off and went out of sight.

Lily ran to the parking lot and saw an ambulance parked by a thick clump of trees; she opened the front passenger door and shut it quickly.

"Ow," said Ratchet. "Easy on the slamming. So far, no signs of any Decepticons in the area. I guess that is a good..." He trailed off when he heard Lily's sniffling. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Lily mumbled as she buckled her seat belt and Ratchet started himself up. "Where are we going now?"

"Back to base," Ratchet said as he backed out of the parking lot and headed for the road. "Got a call from Optimus that he needed a bridge. Bulkhead has been injured." Lily gasped. "I told him it would be a little while because you and I had gone out."

"I-Is Bulkhead going to be okay?" Lily asked.

"I'll find out when I see how critical his injuries are." Ratchet headed down the road into the desert towards their secret base. Once they were safely inside, Lily hopped out and Ratchet transformed into his robot mode, racing for the ground bridge controls. Flipping the switch, he powered it up, and a few moments later Optimus helped Bulkhead into the base, while Bumblebee entered carrying gigantic, blue crystals. "Quickly, Optimus, bring him here," Ratchet said, gesturing to the medical bay. "Bumblebee, put the Energon in my lab for now."

Lily ran to Optimus's feet as he laid Bulkhead on his front. "What happened?!" she asked worriedly.

"An ambush," Optimus said as he positioned Bulkhead to where he'd be comfortable. "Bulkhead was shot from behind. They waited for us to uncover the Energon, and then the Decepticons struck. The quantities Bumblebee carried in were as much we could gather."

"Because the Decepticons took the rest?"

"No," Optimus shook his head. "Because the rest was destroyed during the battle."

Bulkhead winced as Ratchet began his examination. "He is burned in a few places, and it has gone pretty deep. It must have been a close-range blast."

Bumblebee slumped forward, buzzing and whining sadly. "_**Ohh, it's my fault Bulkhead is hurt! I should have been guarding him while he unearthed the Energon!**_"

Bulkhead weakly chuckled as he lifted his head. "It's not your fault, Bee," he said. "Don't put the blame on yourself, kid. It was an accede—**OW!**" Bulkhead jumped and yelled in pain. "Primus, what are you doing to me, Ratchet?!"

"I am trying to see exactly how deep the damage is before I patch you up," the physician said, "and it would go by a whole lot smoother if you'd keep still!"

"Well, if you'd quit pulling!"

"Oh, quit whining like a sparkling!"

While the two bickered, Lily sighed and wandered off a little, then perked up when she glanced down the hall and saw the chamber with the rusted padlock. She ran to Optimus's feet again and tapped on them to get his attention, and he bent down to her height. "What's in there?" she innocently asked as she pointed to Chamber 84.

She noticed Optimus's expression hardening as he looked to where she pointed. Although his face expressed no emotion, Lily could sense something underneath. Then he focused his optics back on her and said, "Secrecy. It is never to be opened without my command." Then he got to his feet and straightened up.

Lily couldn't help but giggle. "Ooh, is it something dangerous?" Optimus's expression remained stiff as he walked away, but Lily followed. "Is there a bomb in there? Ooh, what if it's a giant missile? Or could it be a wild beast? Or maybe a Decepticon prisoner? But he'd be dead if it were locked up for a long time. Ooh! What if there was a dead body in there?"

"Lily, **please**," Optimus said, his voice slightly echoing, and looked down to her, frowning. The girl instantly stopped in her tracks as her eyes widened at him, frightened by his sudden raise of voice. Bumblebee, Ratchet and Bulkhead stared at them for a moment with nearly the same look as Lily. Optimus sighed and turned away, heading off once more.

"Sorry..."

He stopped at the sound of the very tiny voice. Turning his head, he saw Lily sitting on her knees with her head hanging down as she tugged at the ends of her skirt, quietly sniffling. Optimus's expression then softened as he exhaled softly. He approached her slowly and knelt down to her, laying his hand on the floor. Lily sniffed and climbed into his hand, sitting on his palm, as he slowly brought his hand up.

"I apologize, little one," he spoke gently, cradling her in his hands. "I never meant to raise my voice at you or make you upset."

Lily sniffled. "Sorry for pestering you, Mr. Optimus," she said with a cute whimper.

Optimus pressed his lips together and briefly closed his eyes, feeling his cheek plates flush a little chest as the tiny girl's eyes twinkle at him. He took a deep breath and used a finger to stroke her back. "You are forgiven," he said.

Lily grinned with a giggle and crawled to his thumb, wrapping her arms around and hugging it the best she could, nuzzling. He felt a very faint smile appear on his face at the tiny child's embrace, and his spark fluttered in his chest.

* * *

><p>Optimus Prime and Ratchet were the only ones up late that night. They stood in the hall near the main hangar while everyone else had gone to their quarters to recharge, and Lily slept on the couch. Ratchet easily saw the faint look of distraught on his leader's face. "Something troubling you, Optimus?" he asked.<p>

Optimus sighed and lowered his gaze. "It's...It's what Alpha Trion told me when he appeared to me the previous night," he said, speaking softly so he didn't stir Lily awake.

"Did he speak of the prophecy again?" Ratchet asked. Optimus gave his helm a nod and he scoffed. "Well, I still believe it's nothing but nonsense. This prophecy has long been foretold, ever since your were young. Why would it suddenly act now?" He then noticed the hidden sadness in Optimus's optics and quickly added, "Oh, but I mean no offense! I am sure it would be wonderful...but...do you honestly believe that—?"

"_AAAAAAAAAUGH! NOOOOOOOOO!_"

Both mechs jumped at the sound of a shrill and realized it's coming from the main hangar. Rushing in, they saw Lily sitting up on the couch, pale as a ghost, grabbing her head and trembling violently. They became worried and went to the rail, slowly approaching so they didn't frighten her any more than she already was. "Lily...are you alright?" Optimus asked, but heard no reply from the girl, only shuddered whimpers.

"What is the matter with her?" Ratchet said.

"She must have awoken from what the humans call a nightmare," Prime replied, not really knowing what to do. "Lily..." He carefully rubbed a finger up and down her back, and the child reacted with a shudder. He called her name again softly, and she began to breathe audibly. After a moment, she shakily lifted her gaze up to him. "Are you alright?" he asked again with concern in his voice.

Lily swallowed hard and briefly nodded. "Y-Yeah..." she croaked. "I...I'm okay..."

Optimus and Ratchet could both clearly see she wasn't alright. Prime looked to his old friend and asked him to open the ground bridge to a tranquil place. Optimus then turned to Lily and held out his hand. "Come with me," he said. Lily seemed hesitant, but she got to her feet and wrapped a blanket over her shoulders. Optimus held her with both of his hands and slowly stepped through the ground bridge.

In a blinding flash of light, Lily realized they had gone from the Autobot base in the mountain to a rocky cliff edge at the edge of a forest. The smell of water and sweet pine filled her nose as she looked around her, seeing the rest of the forest at the bottom of the cliff. The sky was a navy blue dotted with white twinkling stars. She felt a little fuzzy from the trip, and they were very, very high.

Optimus cautiously approached the cliff edge and sat himself down, letting his legs dangle over the edge; then he lowered his hand to the ground, allowing Lily to slide off. She placed herself beside his leg, hugging her knees and covering herself with the blanket. The two stared out in silence at the wide forest under the clear sky, until Lily looked up at him and asked, "Why are we here?"

Optimus's deep-blue optics shone through the night as he glanced down at her. "I thought you would like to talk about it, and that a little peace and quiet would help calm you down."

"Talk about what?" Lily asked, pretending not to know what he was talking about.

"Your nightmare."

Lily seemed to pale and she stared at her feet. "I don't want to talk about it," she said.

"I am sure it would help make you feel better if you did," Optimus told her. "It isn't healthy to conceal negative emotions." Lily kept her head hung low and wrapped her arms around her knees a little tighter. Optimus seemed reluctant to mention it, but he had a suspicion. "Would it have anything to do with your father?" He noticed instantly she flinched and dug the tips of her fingers into her arms. Optimus sighed. "I see. What happened?"

Lily had a tight knot in her throat. "I...It was about...t-that night..." Optimus nodded, having a feeling she would dream such a thing, and waited for her to continue. "And then it was Mama...W-When she died...It's always the same...we're running down a street...it's very dark...someone is shooting at us...Mama hid me, a-and then ran out into the street again...I-I tried screaming, but...I couldn't work my voice...Then, a jet turned into a robot and it grabbed her...I-It asked where 'she' was...I guess he was talking about me...But Mama didn't say anything...a-a-and then, it...t-then it...!" She stopped to control her breath and wipe her eyes with her knuckles. "I-I've had it, e-ever since that night happened...E-Every night, I'm afraid to go to sleep...And now...a-after seeing what happened to Papa...I-I don't think I'll sleep again."

"Because you do not wish to be haunted by both of their deaths in your dreams," Optimus said.

Lily nodded and cringed as more tears flowed. She felt embarrassed about being this way in front of her giant friend, but it hurt too much to hold back. She choked on a sob and hugged herself tightly, almost strangling herself. "It isn't fair!" she wailed. "Why did this have to happen to them?! Why is this happening to me?! What did they do to deserve to die like that?! It isn't fair! I...I want my mama and papa!" After a long, deep breath, she let out a pained wail and hid her face from Optimus Prime. She knew it wasn't best to grieve like Optimus had told her, but her heart cramped too much to contain it any longer.

Optimus pitifully watched the girl cry her heart out, listening to her sobs and hiccups, easily picking up the sounds of her anguish. He sadly frowned and lowered his gaze to the dirt as a slight cramp entered his spark. He allowed Lily to cry a moment more in peace until he carefully scooped her up into his hands and held her close to his chest. Lily was reluctant for a bit, but then she clung to his armor with her tiny, trembling hands, sobbing loudly. Optimus gently stroked her back with his finger. "There, there, child," he spoke softly. "It is alright. I know this heavy pain and loneliness is shadowing over you, and you long for someone to be right by your side, to help guide you through it, but no one comes, because they do not truly understand. But know this, Lily: no matter what may happen, someone is always there, willing to help you, if you are willing to allow them."

Lily sniffled and softly sobbed with hiccups as she wiped her eyes, snuggling the gentle giant's chest. She heard Optimus take a deep breath and exhale slowly as he continued, "I am sure your family loved you very much...Up until the very last breath of life they took. I am certain they loved you with all of their hearts...More than you could ever realize..."

Lily blinked; did she just hear a shudder in his voice? She looked up and noticed he had turned his head away. Something glittered on his face, and it seemed to slowly make its way down; and while she clung to him, she felt a slight rattle quake from within him. She couldn't help but quiver a faint smile as she wiped her tears away and kissed his armor. She questioned to herself what had made him feel this way, and it made her feel bad to see him like this. Then she had an idea.

While he stared off, Optimus suddenly felt something climb up his chest and looked to see Lily making her way towards him. "Lily, what are you doing?" he asked her.

"You'll see," the tiny girl grunted as she struggled to pull herself up.

"Please, Lily, be careful. I do not want you hurting yourself."

"I'll be okay." After a while, she managed to reach his neck and used pieces of his armor to reach the top of his head; meanwhile Optimus froze to ensure Lily's safety, but he kept wondering what she had in mind. Then, he suddenly saw her hanging in front of his face, her hair and arms dangling down while her feet gripped the crest of his helm. A little surprised, he blinked and looked at her funny, making her giggle and beam a smile. "You look funny from this view," she said. While he was concerned for her well being, he couldn't help but chuckle a little at the girl's playful spirit.

Then, her feet loosened and slipped, and she let out a yelp as she began to fall. Luckily, Optimus's hand was still below her, and he raised it up to catch her. She warily laughed as she propped herself up on her shoulders. "I meant to that," she said.

Optimus wore a sliver of a smile and then noticed the girl beginning to yawn. "We should return to base," he suggested. "You need rest, little one." He immediately saw the fear in her eyes and added, "But I assure you, if you ever need someone, we will be there for you." He felt pleased to see her calm down, and then he activated his comm. link, requesting a ground bridge. Within a moment, a bridge appeared right in front of them.

"Oh, and Mr. Optimus?" Lily yawned as she laid in the Prime's hand, slowly succumbing to the need for sleep, "I promise not to tell."

The Autobot leader glanced down at her, raising an optic ridge. "Tell what?"

Lily only smiled and curled up into his hand, closing her eyes, and he grinned at her while she slept soundly in his palm. Then he stepped through the portal as it closed, leaving the forest night calm and peaceful.

* * *

><p><strong>here's chapter 2! ^^ What do you think of the changes in this chapter? Please be sure to read and review! Many thanks! ~~<br>**


	3. Chapter 3, pt1

"**Little Flower—A Transformers Prime Fan Fiction"**

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: Optimus is visited by Alpha Trion, and Lily discovers a dark secret<br>**

**~~This chapter is rated T for sensitive material.~~**

**TFP © Hasbro**

**Lily © Me**

* * *

><p><strong><span>~Chapter Three, part one: Accidents Happen~<span> **

Only a few hours after he had gone offline, Optimus was visited that night. He had somehow journeyed deep within the Matrix of Leadership—almost being pulled into it—which he possessed, and found himself inside a large, black, empty space, much similar to the space he had seen the night before. He knew to wait a few moments until a bright light flickered before him. The light gradually grew until it had consumed half of the black space and stopped inches from Optimus's armor. Then, the shadow of a figure slowly emerged from the white light, and blue optics pierced their way through; the outline of a face, body, and limbs began to appear, as well. Optimus knew this figure all too well from his past. Alpha Trion.

"You know why I have summoned you, Optimus," Alpha Trion spoke, his voice booming throughout the empty, black space, his mouth not moving an inch. Optimus merely nodded to his ghostly-appearing mentor and former teacher. "Then you know that the ancient prophecy I have told you about, has already fallen into play." Optimus hesitated a little before giving another nod.

The mystic Alpha Trion studied the Prime carefully. "I sense something is troubling you, Optimus. I sense...reluctance. Hesitation. Confusion. Simultaneously, you do and do not wish for the prophecy to be fulfilled. However, I can understand your reasons," he said, his voice filled with sympathy. Feeling his cheek plates beginning to burn, Optimus slightly hung his head, staring at his feet as he clenched his fists for a moment and then relaxed.

"However," Alpha Trion's voice added, "there is only one, final chance for the prophecy to be fulfilled, or to be prevented. One decision can permanently seal it, one decision can prevent it from ever happening. All you have to think about, Optimus, is which decision...and if it has already been made."

Optimus perked up, his eyes wide in surprise and optic ridges furrowed in confusion. Before he could even say a word, Alpha Trion's figure faded and pulled way into the blinding light as it dimmed, and Optimus felt himself being pulled out of the blackness as his vision slowly went dark.

* * *

><p>The Decepticon warship, the <em>Nemesis<em>, glided over Earth high in the atmosphere, and aboard it was the evil tyrant Megatron and his army. Some soldiers were at the monitors searching for Energon spikes, or any Autobot activity, in the main hangar. Megatron and one of his henchman, Soundwave, joined them.

Soundwave had no face, merely a dark, opaque visor similar to a television screen; the other Cons believed he had no voice of his own. He emphasized his points by recording others' voices and playing them back. As the saying goes, the silent ones are usually the most deadly; but Soundwave isn't as malicious as Megatron, but he's had his moments. Resting on the chest of his body was his own little companion: a Cybertronian bird-like creature designated as Laserbeak. The creature was Soundwave's eye in the sky, as well as Megatron's. Laserbeak was loyal to Soundwave, and Soundwave was loyal to Megatron.

One of the monitors began flashing. "Lord Megatron," said the Decepticon manning that monitor, "I have picked up another Energon spike."

Megatron sneered. "Excellent. What is its location?"

"Deep inside a cave of a jungle. Some place called the Amazon."

"I see. And it is ours for the taking. Although we have plenty of it in storage, there is no reason for us to let the accursed Autobots have it. The less they have, the greater the chances they will run out and perish. Not if I terminate them all, first." He chuckled villainously, and then glared at the Energon's coordinates with his malignant red optics. "Of course, we will need someone to scout ahead and be sure the Autobots do not take it first."

Then he summoned Starscream.

This Decepticon Megatron would find falsely loyal, meaning he pretended to show loyalty but secretly plotted to overthrow him. Although, his attempts to do so have all failed, and very few to none had he almost succeeded. Almost. Starscream was very skinny for a bot his size, especially for one who transforms into a jet. He served in the Decepticon cause as Megatron's second in command, though he's losing his earnings for that rank for his constant schemes to seek power and control of the Decepticon army. But Megatron kept him there, mainly because he found it rather humorous to watch Starscream fail again and again.

Starscream bowed before his master. "You have summoned me, Lord Megatron?"

"I have," Megatron said. "We have picked another Energon spike in a cave of the Amazon jungle. I need you to search for it and prevent any Autobots from taking it in case they pick up the same signal. Soundwave will open a bridge."

Starscream appeared a little bewildered. "That's your plan?! Search for Energon in some Earthly jungle and fend off against the Autobots on my own if they show up?!"

Megatron nodded and narrowed his optics sinisterly. "Is there a problem with that?"

Starscream felt there absolutely was a problem with that plan, but he knew better to argue with Megatron, especially with other Cons watching. "No, my liege. Of course not. There is no problem."

"Then why are you still here?! Go!"

Starscream growled as Soundwave opened a ground bridge and he journeyed through the vortex into the jungle. "Ugh! The humidity here is horrible!" He looked at the land around him and groaned angrily. "This jungle is too thick with trees! How am I supposed to find a cave in this mess?!" Knowing he cannot fly his way around, he trekked on foot, grunting and groaning as he walked through damp soil and over fallen tree. "Ugh, that Megatron. Ordering me around like I'm his personal slave. What, is he too afraid to get his own hands dirty?! What if this is all a trap and there is no Energon?! Then it would be me to get caught in it!...Then again, I am the only one guarding the Energon. If I defeat the Autobots myself, and pray to Primus if I ever do, I can ransom Optimus Prime to Megatron for full control of the Decepticon army!...I have to stop talking aloud." He continued his journey through the wet jungle as a light rain began to fall.

* * *

><p>Optimus slowly emerged from recharge, his vision readjusting and focusing as he stared at the ceiling of his quarters. The message Alpha Trion gave him repeated in his mind like a broken record. What decision? Everyone made decisions, and he made a lot in one day. What if it was based off of his decision? Or Megatron's? How could he possibly know which one would seal or prevent the prophecy? He sighed an assumed he would know when the time came.<p>

As he sat himself up on the floor, he heard loud voices and the sounds of giggling and screaming coming from the main hangar. He found it odd how his teammates were up earlier than him; normally it was the other way around. Getting to his feet and stretching a little, he exited his quarters and entered the main hangar. Then he realized what was happening.

"WOULD YOU LET GO?!"

"NO!"

"GET OFF OF IT!"

"IT'S MINE NOW, I HAD IT FIRST!"

"IT BELONGS TO ME!" He saw Lily clinging tightly to one of Ratchet's lab equipment, and he was shaking it to get her off. Meanwhile, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were laughing uproariously and pointing. Well, that explained the screams, giggles and loud voices. "LET GO ALREADY!"

"NO! I TOLD YOU IT'S MINE NOW!" Lily wailed.

"GET OFF OF IT, YOU LITTLE CREEP!"

"Ratchet." The medic turned towards his leader's voice. "That is not a very nice thing to say to a child. Perhaps if you asked kindly, she will comply."

Ratchet was in no mood to play Mr. Nice Bot, but he didn't want to go against his old friend's advice and cleared his throat. "Lily...I would VERY much like it if you released my tool. _Please_?"

Lily tapped her chin as if she was thinking about it then beamed a smile. "Nope!" she said and blew raspberries.

Ratchet's cheek plates flushed. "WHAT?! YOU LITTLE BUG! I SAID GET OFF! I EVEN SAID PLEASE!"

"Don't care. You want me off? Then MAKE ME."

Lily then stuck her tongue out and wiggled it, making Bulkhead and Bumblebee to laugh even more. Ratchet had had enough of this child's play and decided to take drastic measures.

"AAAAAAAAH! NO, STOP IT! STOP! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ratchet began prodding the little girl's vulnerable side with his finger, soft enough so it didn't cause any harm, but just hard enough to drive the child crazy. "STOP IT! HEEHEEHEEHEE, STOP, THAT TICKLES! QUIT! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" To Ratchet's relief, she started loosening her grip and began slipping. He held a hand beneath her and caught her when she finally let go; her giggles gradually died down as the tickles stopped. "No fair, you cheated!"

"As I recall, we were not playing a game, little miss," Ratchet said as he sat her down on the floor.

"But I was having fun!" Lily whined.

"Well, I was not. I do not appreciate others tampering with my things," he said as he roughly cleaned his tool. "Especially a different species from another planet. Who knows what kind of Earth germs you have contaminated my tool with!"

Lily's cheeks flushed pink and she stamped her sock foot. "I am not a contamination! I am a human being!" she yelled. Then she began sniffling and whimpering.

"Oh, boy," Bulkhead said worriedly.

Lily placed her hands by her eyes and wiped them. "Y-You're so mean to me! I thought you were nice because you took me to the park, but you're not! You're nothing but a big meanie!" Then she cried and ran to Optimus, hugging his foot and hiding her face.

Ratchet cringed and sighed. He got dirty looks from Bulkhead and Bumblebee. "What?! I didn't do anything to make her cry! I wasn't insulting her! Quit looking at me like that, both of you!" He looked to Optimus, who only sighed and lowered his gaze to the weeping little girl on his foot. Ratchet exhaled with frustration and knelt down to Lily. "Look, kid, I'm sorry if I upset you but there's no reason for you to cry like this, honestly."

"You're mean to me. You call me mean things," Lily whimpered. "He doesn't like me, he never liked me. Ratchet's a human-hater!"

"What?! No, I'm not! I...Oh, Primus." He groaned and ran a hand over his face as Lily continued to whimper and cry. "Someone, vouch for me, please." Bulkhead and Bee shrugged and gave him a look that said he was on his own in this. He groaned and ran a hand over his face a second time. "Oh, what do you want me to do, beg?!"

Lily then turned around. "Wow, really?! You'd beg me for forgiveness?!" Ratchet couldn't believe it; there were no tears in her eyes of on her face; her nose and cheeks weren't pink; she wasn't upset at all! Ratchet looked ready to blow a fuse, which made Lily laugh and point. "Ha ha ha! You fell for it, Ratchet! You really fell for it!"

"Why, you—!" Ratchet growled and reached out to grab her, but Optimus got to her first and scooped her up, holding Lily out of Ratchet's reach as he tried to snatch her.

"Morning, boss," said Bulkhead once he and Bumblebee calmed down from laughing. "Funny how you're the last one of us to wake up."

Optimus nodded. "I must have overslept," he said a little sheepishly, still keeping Ratchet at bay. "I had a lot of things on my mind-processor last night."

Suddenly all of their attentions turned towards the monitor as a growly voice bellowed, "**PRIME!**"

"Agent Fowler," Optimus addressed as he let go of Ratchet, still cradling Lily in his hand, and approached the monitor. "How may I be of assistance?"

"By doing what you bots have been told to do!" Agent Fowler spat. "Kicking some Decepticon tailpipe! One of our boys picked up an Energon reading deep within the Amazon, and they also picked up a signature." Then an image pulled up on the monitor.

"_**Starscream**_," buzzed Bumblebee.

"Starscream? Who's he?" asked Lily as she studied the image.

"A bug that's very hard to squash," Bulkhead explained.

"The Energon has been picked up inside of a deep cave," Fowler elucidated. "If Starscream digs it up, he could destroy the cave and wreck the environment, and earn attention towards himself."

"Understood, Agent Fowler," Optimus said as he lowered his hand to the floor, placing Lily down. "Ratchet, triangulate the coordinates Fowler detected and activate the ground bridge." The medic nodded and headed for the controls, doing as he was commanded, then flipped the switch to power up the bridge.

"Wait!" Lily said. "I want to come with you this time!"

"That is out of the question, Lily," Optimus told her, shaking his head no. "You are still a key target of the Decepticons, and I will not put your life at risk."

"But why? Why do they want me so much?" Lily asked in a frustrated manner. Optimus only furrowed his optics and glanced at the floor. "I won't get involved, I promise! I don't just want to sit here. Please, Mr. Optimus?" Optimus had to avoid her wet, begging eyes and stuck-out lip.

"Little lady," said Ratchet, "if Optimus says 'no', then it means no." Lily only huffed and stuck her tongue out at him, then returned to begging Optimus.

But he hardened his expression and spoke sternly. "Lily, Ratchet is correct. The decision is final, and you will remain here." Optimus noticed her bottom lip quivering as her eyes glistened with tears and she hung her head. His expression softened a little; he took no pleasure in scolding the poor girl, but he feared for her safety. He sighed to himself and turned to enter the bridge when he suddenly stopped as something occurred to him; a decision had been made. Would it be the one to seal or prevent the prophecy forever? There was only one way to find out. "Autobots," Optimus announced after a moment, "roll out!" Then he, Bumblebee and Bulkhead raced through.

Ratchet continued monitoring Starscream's signal in case he moved anywhere, or any changes or conflicts with the Energon occurred. He couldn't quite explain why, but he felt a little sorry for Lily and sighed. "Look, Lily, Optimus's decision is of nothing personal," he said, still glancing at the screen. "It is clear that he cares deeply for you, like..." He trailed off for a moment then shook his head with another exhale. "He just wants to keep you safe. Do you understand that, Lily?" He heard no response; in fact, he heard nothing except for the familiar whirring sound of the ground bridge. He turned to see the bridge was still open—and the little girl was no longer there.

"Oh, Primus..."

* * *

><p>The Autobots trekked through the soaked soil and mossy terrain, careful not to destroy anything, as they wandered through the rain in search of the cave. According to the scanner in Bulkhead's hand, the cave was quite a hike from their position. Pressed for time, they had immediately begun their journey.<p>

After a while of squishing through mud and pushing trees out of their faces, they spotted a large hollow rock formation with a massive opening. Approaching it, the scanner started going berserk. "This must be the place," Bulkhead said. "I'll bet Starscream is already inside."

"We must hurry," said Optimus. "We need to find Starscream and stop him from signaling the Decepticons, and reaching the Energon."

"_**But, what if it's another trap**_**?**" Bumblebee asked.

"We will have to take our chances, Bumblebee," the Prime told his scout, and he led them further into the cave, transforming his hand into a blaster. The three Autobots ventured deeper into the cave as it became darker and darker inside until they had to result to using their own optic lights as their way to avoid stalagmites and stalactites. They journeyed so softly and quietly one could hear water dripping off of the cave surface.

Then, their trek came to an end when Optimus noticed a faint blue light glowing a little ways ahead. Signaling his Autobots to be silent and press onward, they slowly approached the light and peered around the corner; they saw illuminating Energon crystals of all shapes and sizes decorating the little chamber—and Starscream was pacing around, guarding it. Optimus narrowed his optics and came out of hiding. "Starscream," he voice bellowed in the cave, "step away from the Energon!"

The Decepticons' First Lieutenant jumped at the booming echo of the familiar voice and turned to see Bulkhead and Bumblebee following Optimus's lead, pointing their blasters at him. He scoffed angrily. "I just knew you heaps of scrap would pick up the same Energon signal!" he jeered. "But this Energon belongs to Lord Megatron!"

"Well, I don't see his name written on it," said Bulkhead.

"I found it first!"

Optimus took a step forward, keeping his weapon at full charge. "Starscream," he began, "this can go two ways: you surrender the Energon to us and you will be spared, or..." He trailed off as his audio receptors picked a sound—a sound coming from behind them. He turned around and scanned the terrain, then he approached a large boulder and peered over it. The Autobots then saw what he saw and gasped.

"Lily?!" exclaimed Bulkhead.

"_**How could she have followed us**_**?!**" Bumblebee whirred in surprise.

Optimus lifted the rain-soaked little girl onto the boulder. "Lily, I thought I made myself clear that you were supposed to remain with Ratchet," he said roughly.

"And I made myself clear that I didn't want to sit around all day!" Lily's little voice squeaked, not even nearly as dominant as Optimus's god-like tone.

"But Lily," said Bulkhead, "it's way too dangerous! You know that Megatron—!"

Starscream started laughing, earning everyone's attention. "So, this is the little one that Megatron wants so badly in his possession. I had always wondered what you looked like. I understand that you have lost someone dear to you. Oh well. Accidents happen. But I could gladly have you join your parent!" He drew out his claws. Lily stiffly gasped as her heart started cramping and pounding in her chest. Could he be...?

"You will not lay a hand on her, Starscream!" Optimus's thundering voice shook the cave walls. Then he activated his comm. link. "Ratchet, reactivate the ground bridge immediately!" A few seconds later, he heard the bridge open, but did not see it. He turned towards the way they came and saw the familiar glow of the ground bridge. He looked down to the tiny human and pointed in that direction. "Lily, head for the ground bridge, now!" he ordered. Lily shivered as she backed up, then turned around and raced out of the chamber.

"I do not think so, puny fleshling!" Starscream shouted and fired one of his rockets. Lily managed to turn the corner before the rocket struck the cave wall, but the force of the blast sent her flying a little ways and she hit the cave floor—hard.

Optimus's sharp audio receptors picked up her cry of pain; he narrowed his optics at Starscream, but he knew he couldn't fire at him. The Energon would become unstable and the whole cave would be destroyed. He was not going to allow any more damage done by the Decepticons, and was not going to allow another human casualty. "Autobots, fall back!" he commanded, and they all backed up, pointing their weapons at Starscream. Reaching the end of the chamber at the corner, Optimus saw Lily laying on the cave floor, wounded and crying, blown past the ground bridge.

Starscream then transformed into his jet mode and blasted towards them. They ducked as he flew over their heads, transformed again, and landed in front of Lily. He chuckled darkly as he stalked towards her. Lily weakly looked up at him through tears as shivers of pain and fear racked her battered body.

"No!" Bulkhead shouted.

Starscream picked Lily up by her arm and held her in front of him. "Best be careful," he sneered, drawing his claws out again. "One step from either of you accursed Autobots, and this little filth's blood will splatter across this cave! I've slain one human life before. Do not even think for a second that I will not do so again!" The Autobots glared harshly at him, but wanted no harm to come to Lily, so they lowered their weapons.

"You..." came a weak voice.

Starscream looked to the human in his grasp and saw her skin had turned pure white.

"You...did..." Lily struggled to say clearly. Her body trembled as she clenched her fists; her head throbbed as horrible memories returned. Not wanting to, she thought back to that day—and that's when it hit her. Blanks were filled. Questions were answered. Realization dawned on the sickly little girl. "You did it..." she said softly. Tears sprung and stung her eyes as her damp body quivered. "You...You killed..."

Starscream blinked. "Oh, so you were nearby when it happened. To think I thought you had escaped. I guess I was wrong."

Lily's breathing became jagged as she grit her teeth. "It was _you_...You d-did it..."

"Oh, shut up," he snarled at her as she began to cry. Now that he was distracted, and with precise aim, Bumblebee fired, avoiding Lily and striking Starscream, causing him to let her go. He raced over and quickly dove to catch her. Once she was safe in his hands, he held her close and glared at Starscream.

"Bumblebee, return to base with Lily!" Optimus ordered; the scout nodded and ran through the ground bridge. "Bulkhead, scavenge whatever Energon you can carry. I will handle Starscream." Bulkhead nodded and returned to the chamber while Optimus made his way to Megatron's second-in-command.

He grabbed Starscream by his chest and pressed him against the cave wall, aiming his blaster at the Decepticon's neck. "I will only warn you this once," he said in a deep, serious tone, narrowing his optics. "If you harm so much as a hair on her head...you will answer to me. Do you understand?" Then Starscream hung his head and started snickering maliciously. "What could possibly be funny?"

"Is that not what you said the last time?" Starscream said. "And yet, she perished anyway. The same will happen again, Optimus Prime. Tell me, does the girl know?"

Optimus growled, "No. And she never will."

"Oh, but she in fact will. The prophecy will never be fulfilled. Megatron will have that girl in his clutches one way or another! She will fall, and you will have failed again."

Anger flashed across Optimus's eyes as he charged up his firearm. He stared deeply into Starscream's eyes, then disarmed himself. Keeping his grip on Starscream, Optimus threw him across the cave, watching him crash into stalagmites and stalactites. Then, the traitorous Decepticon fled the cave.

Optimus turned toward the chamber and saw Bulkhead carrying the largest Energon crystal on his back. He went to assist and relieved him of the load, holding in his own arms, and then the two stepped through the bridge. Walking through the vortex, Optimus thought of scolding Lily for disobeying. He wasn't entirely angry with her, but more concerned and disappointed. That, and he pitied her, for she had just learned a dark secret. But as the two entered their base, they saw and heard Bumblebee and Ratchet struggle to calm a wailing Lily down. Bulkhead then took the crystal into his own hands. "I got this, boss. You help them," he said and made his way to the Energon storage unit.

"_**Please, Lily, settle down,**_" Bumblebee begged.

"It's alright!" Ratchet said.

Lily only sobbed harder as large tears streamed down her rosy cheeks and her nose started running. "HE DID IT! HE KILLED HER! H-HE KILLED MAMAAAAA!"

Optimus sighed to himself and stepped forward, slowly kneeling down onto his knee and bending forward so they could meet eye to eye. He took no pleasure in seeing her cry, but he had to be serious right now. "Following us was reckless, foolish, and unwise of you, Lily," he said, maintaining his posture. "You could have gotten seriously injured, or worse. I do not want you accompanying us on any more missions. Is that clear?" Lily's only reply was a high-pitched wail as she wiped her eyes with her knuckles.

"HE KILLED MAMA! _MAMAAAAAAAA_!" she wept.

Ratchet sighed and tried to speak over Lily's sobbing. "It wasn't entirely her fault, Optimus. I felt the ground bridge open, and because of my mistake, she followed you. But, I assure you, it won't happen again."

Bumblebee picked Lily and cradled close. "_**At least have some Energon**_," he bleeped, hoping to lighten the mood, "_**thanks to Bulkhead.**_"

Bulkhead smiled at him then turned to Optimus. "And what of Starscream?" he asked.

Optimus heard Starscream's words replay in his mind, but he shook them off. "Megatron will know what to do with him."

"W-What...?" came a weak voice and looked to Lily, who had a baffled look on her red, tear-stained face. "Y-You let him...live?" she asked Optimus, getting to her feet. "Why...?"

"Because his life was not mine to take, Lily," he replied. "We Autobots do not take life unless it's absolutely necessary."

"It _was_ absolutely necessary! He deserved to die, but you let him go?!" Lily shouted. "He _murdered_ my mama!"

"I know," Optimus said softly.

"W-What do you mean, you know?...You guys knew the whole time?!" Lily asked the others. "You knew he did it?!"

Ratchet hung his head. "Yes...we knew," he spoke quietly.

"Which was why we didn't want you joining us on this mission," said Bulkhead. "We were worried that you would remember that he was the one who...took your mother away." Lily glared through her tears and hung her damp head, clenching her fists.

Optimus sighed and straightened up a little. "I understand you are very upset about this," he said, "but you cannot demand me to take vengeance for you." Lily gave him dirty looks and turned away. "Please, Lily, do not be angry with me. I understand what you are feeling."

"No, you don't!" Lily yelled as tears fell down her face again. "You don't understand how I feel!" Then she took off out of the main hangar and disappeared down the right corridor to their quarters.

Optimus sighed and stood up to go after her, but Ratchet placed a hand on his arm. "Give her a while to cool down," he told his old friend. "In time, she will understand."

_In time_, Optimus thought. He only hoped that time wouldn't come too late.

* * *

><p>Starscream was thrown to the floor and landed with a boom as he cried out in pain. "L-Lord Megatron, please!" He was silenced when the Decepticon tyrant kicked him aside again.<p>

"I give you one simple task, Starscream, and you cannot even accomplish that?!" Megatron roared as he approached Starscream.

"P-Please, my liege, allow me to explain," Starscream trembled as he began to crawl away backwards. "The Autobots outnumbered me, and the human child accompanied them!"

"And you let the girl go while you had her in your very grasp?!" Megatron bellowed, pressing his foot against Starscream's chest. "You know she is the key to the prophecy! It has been foretold since the beginning of time, speaking of a new power overcoming evil. Ever since I discovered that brat was at the center of it all, she has been our main priority. If the prophecy is fulfilled, we could all perish! And you let the girl live!"

The cowardly Decepticon shivered before his master. "We will set another trap for the Autobots! The child will no doubt follow them again! I saw the way Optimus Prime looked at her and..." He trailed off as something occurred to him and he slyly smiled. "Oh, now I see. He thinks of the child as _her_."

Megatron understood and removed his food. "Indeed. It is clear that Optimus Prime is unsure on whether he wants the prophecy fulfilled or for it to be prevented—because he can hypothesize what would happen if it is fulfilled. And I know he wouldn't be willing to risk another casualty, especially that of one dearly close to him. So, why don't we show him an act of kindness and remove this burden from his shoulders—and terminate the brat ourselves."

* * *

><p>Lily realized she had cried herself to sleep again when she woke up. She warily sat up on the floor and rubbed her red eyes and dry tear-stained cheeks. Her hair and clothes were still damp and her nose was stuffy.<p>

She then backtracked all that has happened that day and her chest tightened up as she held her breath. She had just discovered that this Starscream was the one who murdered her mother that night, and she was still unhappy that Optimus just let him get away. She then remembered what he had told her; even though she didn't want to listen, she knew he had a good point.

Lily felt a chill run through her body and she shivered and sneezed, hugging herself. Then, she eyed the box of remains from her home sitting in the corner of the room. Keeping her arms around her body to keep warm, she made her way to the box, searched inside, and found a fresh pair of dry pajamas. Quickly, she changed out of her wet pair, tossing it aside, and slipped on the new one. Then she stared at the items in the box; she pulled out a photo of herself as a tiny baby with her mama and papa. Tears quickly sprung to her eyes again, but she wiped them away with the back of her hand. She picked up her teddy and hugged it tightly before setting it by the picture, and she pulled a white handkerchief with her papa's initials on one of the corners; she used it to blow her nose, folded it neatly, and set it aside.

As she went through object after object in the box, she heard a light knock against the wall. Lily turned her head to see Optimus standing halfway in the room and halfway in the hall. She had a feeling she'd see him eventually and sighed of annoyance; however, she couldn't hold a grudge with him when she stared into his sympathetic eyes, and she wore a faint, sleepy smile.

Optimus took that smile as a sign that he was granted permission to enter, and he slowly did so, kneeling down beside her in the corner. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

"Yes," Lily replied meekly with a sniffle, then exhaled a sad sigh. "I...I'm sorry...for what I said to you, Mr. Optimus. You were trying to help me, but I kept getting mad and upset. If you want to kick me out now or drop me off under the bridge, I understand."

Optimus let out a silent chuckle. "You are still welcome here, Lily McElroy. Believe it or not, this is your home now."

Lily smiled for a moment before it fell again. "And, I'm sorry for disobeying you...It's just...I..."

"You were curious to see if Starscream was the demon who haunted you in your dreams," Optimus said, and she nodded with another sniffle. "I am sorry that you had to learn of this, Lily. We had only kept it from you in order to protect you. As well as your father."

Lily perked up and looked to him, surprised. "You knew my papa?"

Optimus realized he had said a little too much. "You will learn more when you are ready, Lily," he told her. She lowered her head and then sneezed, wiping her nose on her pajama sleeve. "Are you alright?"

"Yes..." Lily replied with a shiver. Optimus sighed to himself and carefully scooped Lily into his hands. He sat down on the floor and held her close to his chest, letting her feel the warmth of his spark. She moaned softly and pleasantly as she cuddled him. "Thank you," she said softly.

"You are welcome, little one," he replied. Optimus noticed her bear on the floor, diligently picked it up, and placed it in her lap. "And Lily, I was serious when I told you that you are never to join us on a mission. I do not want you getting hurt. I will not allow it. From now on, you will remain here with Ratchet while Bulkhead, Bumblebee and I head out. Understand?"

Lily sighed sleepily and disappointedly. "Okay..."

"Promise?"

"...I promise," she mumbled. When Optimus wasn't looking, she placed a hand behind her back and crossed her fingers.

* * *

><p><strong>here is part one of chapter 3! Part two will come soon! Please be sure to read and review, and tell me what you think of the changes ^^ Thank you!~~<strong>


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